Kartik won’t play Raju

Suniel Shetty, who was keen to convince Akshay Kumar to give his nod to Hera Pheri 3, is thrilled about Kartik Aaryan joining the franchise. He, however, clarified that contrary to reports on social media, the actor will not reprise the role of Raju — played by Kumar in the past two editions. “Kartik Aaryan is a brilliant choice, [but] he is not playing Raju. Kartik’s is an absolutely new character and he will bring amazing energy to the role that he would play. Nobody can replace Raju. Now, it is for Raju and Firoz [Nadiadwala, producer] bhai to sort out [the issue],” Shetty was quoted as stating. Meanwhile, Aaryan is gearing up for his next, Freddy, which will have a direct-to-web release.