Bollywood actor Arshad Warsi, best known for his impeccable comic timing, has entertained audiences with hit films such as Golmaal, Munna Bhai MBBS, Dhamaal and many more. In a recent conversation with The Lallantop, the actor opened up about one film he considers an exception in his otherwise fulfilling career, Hulchul.
Arshad Warsi revealed he was promised Akshay Kumar’s Hera Pheri-like role in Hulchul
Arshad revealed that while he generally does not crib about his work, Hulchul turned out to be a “bad experience”. He even said that he was, in a way, “tricked” into doing the film. Arshad said, “Hulchul was a problem. Humare Neeraj Vohra sahab the, I was busy doing films, and he said, ‘Arshad, ek film hai aur Priyadarshan director hai. I said wow, done, what am I doing in it?. He said tune Hera Pheri dekhi hai? Usmein jo Akshay Kumar ka role hai vohi same role hai.’ I was like done, it’s a damn good role (Neeraj Vohra saab was there. I was busy doing films when he said, “Arshad, there’s a film and Priyadarshan is the director.” I said, “Wow, done. What am I doing in it?” He said, “Have you seen Hera Pheri? It’s the same role that Akshay Kumar played in that film.” I was like, “Done, it’s a damn good role).”
However, things changed once he reached the sets. Explaining what went wrong, Arshad added, “But in that film I realised there is a huge difference between ‘aap dono iss film main dost hain aur aap iss film mein inke dost hain (You both are friends in this film, and you are their friend in the film)’. We reached the set aur aisa mujhe dhakka laga (I got a shock), and I don’t think Priyadarshan knew about it. It’s not his fault. I was given a shirt which was till my knee length and three-fourths sleeves. Samanjh nahi aaraha tha nighty hai yaa shirt. I was like this is a mess (I couldn’t understand whether it was a nightgown or a shirt). But since I had given a commitment, I did the film. I wore my own clothes in half of the picture. So that was a bad experience.”
About Hulchul
Directed by Priyadarshan, the romantic comedy was a remake of the 1991 Malayalam film Godfather. The film starred Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Arbaaz Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Farha Naaz and Laxmi in key roles.
Arshad Warsi’s upcoming films
Arshad Warsi will next be seen in Siddharth Anand’s King, which stars Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role, alongside Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Jaideep Ahlawat. The film also marks Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan’s theatrical debut and is expected to release in 2026.
He also has Welcome To The Jungle in the pipeline, featuring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal and others. The film is scheduled for a theatrical release in 2026.