Paresh Rawal on Akshay Kumar: “He’s a Friend and Will Remain One”

Ziya Khan 7 days agoLast Updated: May 9, 2025

Paresh Rawal recently made headlines for his three-hour-long interview with Lallantop, which has since gone viral. One of the standout quotes from the interview involved his relationship with Akshay Kumar. When the host inquired whether Akshay was his friend, Rawal responded, “In the film industry, we have colleagues; in theatre, we have friends; and in school, we have best friends. But within the film world, we are colleagues.” This statement sparked a flurry of activity on social media, with many speculating about the state of his friendship with his Hera Pheri co-star.

When approached about the controversy, Rawal sighed, saying, “Maatha kharab ho gaya, yaar!” He elaborated, stating, “I simply said that he’s a colleague. When you refer to someone as a ‘friend,’ it implies you meet them 5-6 times a month and speak several times a week. Neither Akshay nor I are particularly social, so it’s unlikely we’d run into each other at parties. Hence, I called him a colleague, and this led to all the speculations. People are asking ‘Kya ho gaya (what happened between you two)?’ Arre bhai, kuch nahin hua (nothing happened).”Rawal emphasized, “He’s a friend and will remain a friend.

This entire uproar was unnecessary.” Critics and skeptics overlooked the fact that just two months prior, Rawal had spoken highly of Kumar during an interview with Siddharth Kannan, illustrating his appreciation for their relationship. When asked if Akshay Kumar had seen the Lallantop interview and how he reacted, Rawal replied, “No, he’s a cool guy. Akshay and I have worked together on at least 15-20 films. He’s a great friend.”

Interestingly, both actors are currently collaborating on three films, all of which are highly anticipated: Bhooth Bangla, Welcome To The Jungle, and the much-awaited Hera Pheri 3. The last two are part of successful franchises produced by Firoz A. Nadiadwallah.When questioned about being more careful with his words after this incident, Rawal confessed, “I’ll be more than careful now. I will spell everything out in black and white. People tend to take things out of context, and it’s exhausting to have to clarify.”