There has been a lot of excitement around the next instalment of the comedy classic Hera Pheri, especially after the actors (Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty) were spotted shooting for a promotional video for the upcoming film. Suniel Shetty, who is super excited to reunite with the team, reassuring the fans of the classic, says, “We don’t want the legendary Hera Pheri to be impacted by any mistakes we make in the future.”

The actor, who is looking his fittest best, in a chat with us also talks about how martial arts helped him win a place in showbiz, his faith in the team of the cult comedy, and of course, his newest role in life – that of a father-in-law. Excerpts...

When we all got together for the shoot, it didn’t feel like so many years have gone by. It’s an amazing feeling to have Akki (Akshay Kumar) back in the franchise.

For me, Hera Pheri will always be about Babu bhaiya (Paresh Rawal), Raju (Akshay) and Shyam (Suniel) in that order, and it works best in that order. There have been a lot of speculations, but we are all aware of what the script is. The new Hera Pheri is going to be emotional and funny, which was also the beauty of the first film. It had very strong emotions of the common man and their struggles. I strongly believe that the new Hera Pheri will work only if the emotions are right.

I have always said that Kartik Aaryan was never taking over Akshay’s role in the film. Kartik is the new kid on the block who is extraordinary, but he cannot replace Akshay Kumar. Raju will always remain Raju, and the audience won’t accept a replacement for him. It (Kartik’s) was a new character, and now who’s playing that part or what happens to that character… I am clueless about it. Meanwhile, Akki wanted to (be a part of the franchise). Whatever transpired between the producer and him, Akki knows, but whenever I had spoken to Akki in the past, I had always told him that this film should be our top priority. He had also agreed saying, ‘Yes, this is a film we should work on’.

About the director, as long as Farhad is committed to the script, I don’t think there is a problem at all. Today, there is more than one director associated with this film and I say that because the actors are as involved in the project (as the director). None of us are going to make a fool of ourselves with this film. After all, we don’t want the legendary Hera Pheri to be impacted by any mistakes we make in the future. Even if it’s not as good but is remotely close to the original, and we can make a sensible film, we are happy. All I can say for now is that Farhad has done a brilliant job with the writing of the film. We should start rolling mostly in the second half of the year.

With Sanjay Dutt on board, the film will be a laugh riot, because Sanju’s sense of comedy is unbelievable. His comic timing and body language will add ek aur chaand to this project. He will take this to another level. We share a fantastic relationship and that will transpire on screen, too.

Mixed Martial Arts is the highest paid sport in the world. In India it took off late, but it has taken over boxing today. Through the show I could see talent coming in from remote places, where they probably didn’t have proper infrastructure and training, yet,some of them could have the ability to represent India soon in the world of MMA. As far as I am concerned, I got into films because of my martial arts background. I practiced kickboxing, and so my action came from there. When I began as an actor, people said that I was only an action star, and they called me wooden. It was action that gave me the opportunity to learn the rest of the craft, so I owe it all to action. My martial arts background has allowed me to stay fit and fight the way I do even at this age.

I don’t know what the role of a father-in-law is. The only role I know is that of a father. I am blessed to have a son like Rahul. He has blended beautifully with our family, because he is a simple guy and that is exactly how we are.

Well, Athiya always wanted something intimate. There were hardly 70-80 people attending the wedding. It was very satisfying as we could attend to all our guests personally. I thought a lot of people would be upset (for not being invited), but instead, they appreciated it. Nothing has changed between Athiya and me as far as our equation is concerned. Earlier, it would be five phone calls a day, but today, gudiya and I make 15 phone calls to each other. Now, we don’t take things for granted and look forward to spending time with each other.