The news of actor Akshay Kumar backing out of the upcoming film Hera Pheri 3 left many fans disappointed. Now, reports suggest that actor Varun Dhawan, who was offered to play Raju in the third instalment, has declined the offer out of respect for Kumar.

As per a report, producers Anand Pandit and Firoz Nadiadwala will be partnering for the project. A source told Bollywood Hungama, “Both [the producers] wanted Varun to step into the shoes of Raju, as he has the conviction of doing comedies like no one else. They also made an offer to David Dhawan to co-direct the film along with son Rohit Dhawan.”

According to the source, while it was a tempting offer for Varun, he didn’t want to milk the situation of alleged disturbance between Kumar and Nadiadwala. “Varun didn’t want to jump into the franchise created by Akshay Kumar. He has tremendous respect for the senior actor and didn’t want to use the not-so-good equation between Akshay and Firoz to climb the ladder of stardom. His father, David Dhawan also stands by the decision,” the source added.

Right now, the makers are on a lookout for a director, and are keen on roping in Anees Bazmee. Meanwhile, Pandit may opt out of the project too, say reports.