'Let Suniel Shetty be the hero': Akshay Kumar on being offered Shyam’s role in ‘Hera Pheri’, chose to play Raju instead

Akshay Kumar recently revealed an interesting behind-the-scenes story about the cult comedy ‘Hera Pheri’, sharing that he was initially offered the role of Shyam, eventually played by Suniel Shetty. However, the actor made a surprising decision that changed the film's course. While promoting his upcoming film ‘Bhoot Bangla’, Akshay, along with director Priyadarshan, reflected on their long-standing collaboration and how ‘Hera Pheri’ became a turning point.

Priyadarshan recalls the moment

Speaking about the casting process to IANS, Priyadarshan shared how things unfolded unexpectedly. He said, “I was telling him about the role. It was a natural hero–heroine concept, and when I narrated the whole thing, he said, ‘I don’t want this. I will play the other guy.’” The filmmaker had originally envisioned Akshay in the more conventional lead role, but the actor had other plans.Adding more context, Akshay explained that he was first considered for Shyam’s character.

“Actually, he wanted me to play Shyam’s role because there was a heroine opposite him and everything was there,” he said. Priyadarshan further revealed, “Suddenly, he said, ‘I don’t want to play this role. Let Suniel Shetty be the hero; I will play the other guy.’” Akshay confirmed his decision, saying, “I told him I would play second fiddle to him.

So, I played Raju’s role.”

Why did Raju's role feel more exciting?

The actor went on to explain what drew him to Raju, the quirky and money-minded character that later became iconic.

“Because I had never done such a role before, someone so mischievous. I had mostly done action roles and ‘seedha’ roles in films like ‘Dhadkan’ and ‘Ek Rishta’. When he was narrating ‘Hera Pheri’, I found that the character was crazy about money. So I requested him, ‘Can I try this role?’” This instinctive choice helped Akshay break away from his usual image and explore comedy in a new way.‘Hera Pheri’ marked the first collaboration between Akshay Kumar and Priyadarshan, and the film went on to become a massive success. It not only redefined comedy in Bollywood but also revived Akshay’s career trajectory. The success continued with its sequel ‘Phir Hera Pheri’, cementing Raju as one of the most loved comic characters in Hindi cinema.