Mumbai: The future of ‘Hera Pheri 3’ appears uncertain after director Priyadarshan dropped a major update about the comedy sequel.
Speaking about the film’s status, the veteran director said he doubts if the film will ever be made, citing an ongoing issue that he believes has made the project nearly impossible to complete.
After producer Feroze Nadiadwala revealed that the third instalment of the comedy franchise is progressing in the right direction, but Priyadarshan is not a part of it, the latter confirmed the same.
“What Feroze has said, is true. I am not associated with Hera Pheri 3 at the present,” he was quoted as saying by HT.
“To the best of my knowledge, Hera Pheri 3 will never hit the screen due to lots of legal issues and personal conflicts. Whether I am involved or not is unimportant,” he added.
Directed by Neeraj Vora, ‘Hera Pheri’ (2000) and ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ (2006) were both major box-office hits and went on to become cult comedy classics.
However, ‘Hera Pheri 3’ has remained stuck in development due to multiple hurdles, the biggest being a long-running legal dispute over franchise rights.
South-based production house Seven Arts International claims that it owns the rights to the ‘Hera Pheri’ franchise and its characters, a claim that producer Nadiadwala strongly disputes.
A spokesperson for Akshay Kumar’s production house had earlier stated that the rights were purchased from Nadiadwala under the belief that he was the legitimate owner.
The third instalment was expected to reunite the franchise’s iconic trio — Akshay, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal — with Priyadarshan returning as director.
The project also hit a roadblock when Paresh briefly exited the film in May 2025 before later rejoining the cast.
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