Paresh Rawal’s announcement that actor Kartik Aaryan had been roped in for Hera Pheri 3 caused quite a stir on social media. Assuming that the actor had been cast as Raju (played in the first two instalments by Akshay Kumar), fans were quick to voice their disappointment.

Now, the actor has cleared the air, stating that Aaryan, who isn’t a part of the film, had a different role. “Kartik Aaryan wasn’t supposed to play Raju. Kartik’s character wasn’t cut from the same cloth as Raju,” Rawal told News18, adding, “Kartik’s role had a different kind of energy and premise.”

Rawal, who plays the simpleton with a heart of gold, Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, in the franchise, also addressed his disappointment after the second instalment, saying that during the post-production of Phir Hera Pheri (2006), he realized he didn’t give it his all. “We should work around it very diligently and treat it with a lot of nazaqat. We shouldn’t have become so overconfident,” he said.

Hera Pheri 3 will go on floors in September and will star the original cast: Rawal, Kumar and Suniel Shetty.