Suniel Shetty puts the feud between Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal to rest, says ‘These two friends loved each other’

Suniel Shetty

Disruptions have settled, and the chatter and rumours have ended with the good news that all is well with the cast of Hera Pheri 3 - Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty. Of course, the happiest are the fans, who've been over the moon knowing that Rawal is back in the mix and director Priyadarshan has returned to the writer's room to pen the script for the third instalment. While Shetty doesn't want to jinx it by talking too much about the project that is closest to his heart, it's clear he played a major role in sorting out the miscommunication between everyone.

However, Shetty doesn't wish to take any credit for bringing the two close friends back together. "The patch-up happened because of the respect Paresh and Akshay have for each other," he says. With Kumar - who also serves as the producer - suing Rawal for Rs 25 crore, and the latter returning the signing amount along with interest, many believed it was the end of the road for the trio and the third instalment of the franchise. Shetty advised his two co-stars, "Baat karlo ek doosre se. Don't let the world divide you." That's all it took. "Paresh never criticised Akshay. And when a journalist called Paresh ‘foolish', Akshay rebuked the reporter saying he is a friend. That day we all realised that these two friends loved each other and would not let anybody get in between them," added Shetty.

With Hera Pheri 3 back on track, Shetty has trained his focus on the second season of the action thriller Hunter. Directed by Prince Dhiman and Alok Batra, the new edition aims to raise both the emotional and action quotient of the series. The trailer suggests the actor will be racing against time to save his kidnapped daughter. Shetty tells mid-day that the audience is in for a surprise this season.

"The emotional quotient is much higher this time. A more coming-of-age for ACP Vikram Sinha [his character]. We have taken everything several notches higher. We have gone international and also upped the action. Vikram wants his family back, he realises nothing matters more than his people. This season is more sensible, emotional, [and about] what values mean to us/what matters more. Family ties and values are also what I am about. The old classics [songs] are back in this," explains the actor.