Amidst Kartik Aaryan being chosen to fill Akshay Kumar's shoes in Hera Pheri 3, Bollywood fans are highly upset about not being able to see the OG Raju. For the unversed, Akshay Kumar walked out of the movie due to creative differences between him and the makers. Blaming the lack of mass in the script, a source close to the movie had revealed Akshay asked for a whopping Rs. 90 crores while Kartik was ready to come on board for Rs. 30 crores. If the latest development on the Hera Pheri 3 cast is to be believed, it wasn't Aaryan who was the first choice for the iconic comedy film. Varun Dhawan was approached first to play Raju's character in Hera Pheri 3.

With Akshay Kumar quitting Hera Pheri 3, the makers first went to Varun Dhawan to ask if he'd be interested in playing the iconic Raju character. However, the Badlapur actor denied it, saying he didn't want to leverage the 'not-so-cordial relations' between Khiladi and the makers for his benefit. Varun has been a huge Akshay Kumar fan. As much as he was tempted, Varun simply rejected the offer. The source close to the development revealed even David Dhawan supported his decision.

Kartik Aaryan Not Playing Raju in Hera Pheri 3?

Breaking the silence on the current infamous Hera Pheri 3 casting situation, Suniel Shetty expressed his disappointment on Akshay Kumar not being a part of the movie. He said, 'I am not happy about it. It hurts. 14 saal toh humne vanvas kaat liye, uske baad bhi problem ho toh it hurts. We need to sit and talk. We all are mature adults, and find a way through.'

He further added, 'I have committed and I have to stay committed. So let's see what happens. I will talk to them after November 20. As far as I'm concerned, all three are committed to the film... And Kartik is not playing Raju's character. That is a completely different character which is coming to the movie, which is also very exciting.'