Filmmaker Priyadarshan has reacted to Paresh Rawal’s remark describing the iconic Baburao character as “mere gale ka fanda”. The director recalled how Rawal immediately agreed to take up the role when he first narrated the idea for Hera Pheri. Speaking about the casting, Priyadarshan said that he always believed Rawal was the real hero of the film.

Filmmaker Priyadarshan has reacted to Paresh Rawal’s remark describing the iconic Baburao character as “mere gale ka fanda”. The director recalled how Rawal immediately agreed to take up the role when he first narrated the idea for Hera Pheri.Speaking about the casting, Priyadarshan said that he always believed Rawal was the real hero of the film.“When I was making the film, the first thing I did was call Paresh. I told him, ‘This is a role you would want to do.’ He immediately jumped at the opportunity. I told him, ‘You are the hero of the film. The real hero is you — the others are just supporting characters,’” the filmmaker told Pinkvilla.

“He said he would put his heart and soul into it”

Priyadarshan further revealed that Rawal was excited about the role because it allowed him to break away from the villainous characters he had mostly played earlier in his career.“He said he would put his heart and soul into it because, before that, he had mostly been playing villain roles. And then he did it. Now he has earned it. Now he can decide where to take it,” the director added.The character of Baburao Ganpatrao Apte from the Hera Pheri franchise remains one of the most iconic roles in the history of Hindi cinema. Paresh Rawal’s portrayal of the dhoti-clad landlord — with his innocence, distinctive Maharashtrian accent and quirky humour — became immensely popular among audiences.The character gained cult status alongside Akshay Kumar’s Raju and Suniel Shetty’s Shyam. While the second instalment, Phir Hera Pheri, released in 2006, fans have been eagerly waiting for the third part of the franchise.

Paresh Rawal once said Baburao felt like “a noose around his neck”

Despite the character’s popularity, Rawal had earlier spoken about how the role limited him as an actor. During a recent interview with The Lallantop, he admitted that he wanted to move away from the image created by Baburao.“Woh gale ka fanda hai. Main 2007 mein Vishal Bharadwaj ji ke paas gaya tha. 2006 mein part 2 release ho gayi thi. Maine kaha mere paas ek film hai, mujhe iski jo ek image hai na, usse chhutkara chahiye. Same getup ke andar alag kisam ka role. Woh aap kar ke de sakte hain mujhe. Jo bhi aata hai, uske andar Hera Pheri hai. Main actor hoon yaar, mujhe phasna nahi hai iss daldal mein,” he had said. On the work front, Paresh Rawal will next be seen in Priyadarshan’s upcoming film Bhooth Bangla alongside Akshay Kumar and Tabu. The film wrapped its shooting schedule in May last year and is slated for a theatrical release on April 10, 2026.The actor also has Welcome to the Jungle in the pipeline.