Paresh Rawal has played many famous characters and has been a part of many superhit films. But the role of Baburao Ganpat Rao Apte in Hera Pheri has given him a different identity. However, he is bored with this role. The actor believes that, ‘Even today, a role is as much a blessing as it is a burden for me. The character of Baburao Ganpat Rao Apte, the loving but disorderly landlord of Hera Pheri, also makes me feel the same.’
Paresh Rawal said, ‘The great success of Baburao has limited the diversity of my acting in the eyes of the audience and why trying to repeat the same magic over and over again exhausts me creatively.’
Recently, during a conversation in a podcast, Paresh Rawal said, “I am tired of doing the same thing. I feel like I am stuck. To please people, you keep doing the same thing over and over again. When Raju Hirani made Munnabhai M.B.B.S., the same characters were shown in a new setting and people enjoyed it. But when you have such big characters, whose goodwill is worth 500 crores among the people, why not take a little risk and move forward? Why are you stuck in one place?” He further said, “I love the character of Baburao a lot, but the sad thing is that this character weighs heavily on many of my other great roles. Baburao’s role overwhelms my other good roles. I have even been told that Baburao is more famous than R.K. Laxman. I feel bad when even intelligent people repeat the same thing over and over again.” I am tired of it. Baburao has a lot of potential – the audience believes everything he says.’
The actor further said, ‘Many times I was offered roles similar to Baburao, but I refused every time. I have never played characters that imitate Baburao. There is always such a demand – everyone wants to make money on it. But legally the character of Baburao is the property of Firoz Nadiadwala, so I cannot play him in any other film. This is a good thing that arose out of my compulsion.’
He also further said, ‘Memories are necessary but now cinema should move forward, and its characters should also move forward. We should not do the same thing over and over again.’
However, after many differences and legal maneuvers, Paresh Rawal is ready to return as Baburao in Hera Pheri 3. He will once again be seen entertaining the audience with the trio of Akshay Kumar (Raju) and Suniel Shetty (Shyam). Some time ago, he walked away from the project due to creative differences, but now he has confirmed that he has joined the team.
