‘Hera Pheri 3’ has once again found itself in troubled waters. While the third installment of the beloved comedy franchise was officially announced for January 2025, the film recently suffered another setback after the producer Firoz A. Nadiadwallah he confirmed it Priyadarshan I would no longer direct the project. The filmmaker has now revealed that a combination of legal complications and his strained relationship with the producer led to his exit.In a recent interview with Mid-day, Priyadarshan alleged that Nadiadwallah had repeatedly snubbed him over the years, making it difficult for him to go ahead with the film despite his enthusiasm to bring the iconic trio to the big screen.Recalling his conversations with the producer, Priyadarshan claimed that Firoz A. Nadiadwallah had asked him Akshay Kumar not make the film with him. “Firoz told Akshay, ‘You have the rights to make ‘Hera Pheri 3’, but you never do it with Priyadarshan.” This is my only request. He has insulted me so many times, told me that my cut of ‘Hera Pheri’ looked like a poor man’s version, that he had to edit my five-hour film.”The director added that he had accepted the project only because Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty i Paresh Rawal I personally wanted him back.“Initially I agreed to do the third part with Akshay because I thought I could do one of the biggest franchises in this country. If I had directed it, I could have made it bigger than ‘Dhurandhar’. Akshay, Suniel and Paresh asked me to do ‘Hera Pheri 3’. When I narrated the story to them, they were all excited.”
The legal battle became a major obstacle
According to Priyadarshan, the problems surrounding the film started almost immediately after its announcement in 2025. He revealed that he received a call from GP Vijayakumar of Seven Arts Films, who warned him that going ahead with the project could violate existing rights agreements.Explaining the situation, the filmmaker said that copyright issues have become so complicated that he no longer believes that the original trio will reunite for the film.“When ‘Hera Pheri 3’ was announced, I got a call from Seven Arts Films GP Vijayakumar that if we ever make the film, it would be a violation. I didn’t know what to do. That’s why I said ‘Hera Pheri 3’ may never see the screens with the same characters. You will never see them again as it has too many legal problems.”He further added, “According to me, ‘Hera Pheri’ was born, ‘Hera Pheri 2’ got sick and ‘Hera Pheri 3’ will be dead.”
Copyright dispute over ‘Hera Pheri 3’
The legal dispute dates back to claims made earlier this year by South Indian producer GP Vijayakumar, who alleged that Firoz A. Nadiadwallah does not own the rights to the “Hera Pheri” franchise. Vijayakumar claimed that in 2022 he acquired the full franchise rights from Adithya Films, the producers of the Malayalam classic ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’, on which the original ‘Hera Pheri’ was based.He further alleged that Nadiadwallah had only bought the Hindi remake rights of ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’ and later exceeded the scope of that deal by producing the sequel. Addressing the controversy, Priyadarshan described the matter as “a legally complicated copyright battle”.
Priyadarshan to short Paresh Rawal
The director also shed light on Paresh Rawal’s temporary exit from ‘Hera Pheri 3’ in May 2025. At the time, reports suggested that the actor was unhappy with his remuneration and the way his character had been written. Akshay Kumar had even filed a Rs 25 crore lawsuit against Rawal before the actor finally returned to the project.However, Priyadarshan rejected these reports, claiming that the problem stemmed from legal uncertainty rather than financial disagreements.“At that time, Paresh Rawal received a legal notice from Firoz A. Nadiadwallah saying that although Akshay has the third-party rights, Nadiadwallah had not sold the three main characters, including Baburao’s. Paresh panicked and wanted to take a legal opinion on the matter. That’s why he left the film. Money was not an issue.”Despite the uncertainty surrounding the franchise, Priyadarshan expressed hope that the beloved series will survive. “Hera Pheri is one of my favorite films, so whatever the outcome and whoever the producers are, may ‘Hera Pheri’ live on for a long time, entertaining the people who love it.”On the professional front, Priyadarshan has a large number of projects in various languages. The veteran filmmaker recently reunited with Akshay Kumar for the horror-comedy ‘Bhooth Bangla’, marking their collaboration after several years. He is also directing the Malayalam court drama ‘Justice’ starring Mohanlal.