'Akshay and I slept on newspaper while shooting for Hera Pheri', shares Suniel Shetty

Hera Phera is a cult film and each one of us have grown watching the film. As the film completed 20 years and we still make it a point to watch the telecast on television.

Although the movie didn't fare well at the box office when was released,  over the years it has acquired a cult status thanks to its quirky yet memorable characters Raju (played by Akshay Kumar), Babu Bhai (played by Paresh Rawal) and Shyam (played by Suniel Shetty) and the hilarious comedy of errors they find themselves in.

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After 20 years of Hera Pheri, Suniel Shetty spoke about the reason why Hera Pheri is even today seen as an iconic movie and reminisced the good old days of shooting the film.

On why Hera Phera is iconic

What makes it iconic is basically the simplicity of the film. Hera Pheri is a film where everybody has problems and, in those problems, there is so much humour that it is hard to stop watching.

Also, it was a film where action heroes were doing comedy and being controlled by someone like Babu Bhai, so audiences must have found that very amusing. Then, the basic script, the writing, the dialogues, the legendary direction of Priyadarshan and the entire team that worked so brilliantly. Hera Pheri is a perfect example of perfect teamwork.

On working with Priyadarshan

I knew Priyan sir was a riot when it came to this genre. I switched over to comedy because I knew the kind of films had produced earlier and his sense of comedy was brilliant. After this movie, Akshay and I worked on Awara Paagal Deewana.

On Shooting with Akshay Kumar

I don't know how the film was made, it just happened. We arrived on the sets every morning, the costumes were basically just stretched and given to us, not even ironed. The director would ask us to sleep in the afternoon on paper, so we used to sleep on newspapers.

He (Priyadarshan) said I don't want you to be comfortable. When you get up, you should have rested, but stay uncomfortable. So, we wore no makeup, nothing. Akshay Kumar, me and Paresh ji were constantly together, constantly rehearsing our lines, constantly improvising and Priyan sir is one man who knows when to say cut.

Did you know Hera Pheri is Arjun Kapoor's favourite film?

If you haven't watched Hera Pheri, then what are doing this quarantine beat the boredom during the lockdown and watch the film. Starring Suneil Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal is a laughter riot that will crack up your mood instantly.