Hera Pheri 3 is in trouble again. Although the third installment of the beloved comedy series was officially announced in January 2025, the film recently suffered another setback after producers Firoz A. Nadiadwala Confirm priyadarshan will no longer direct the project. The filmmaker has now revealed that legal troubles and his strained relationship with producers led to his exit.In a recent interview with Mid-day, Priyadarshan claimed that Nadiadwallah has repeatedly disrespected him over the years, making it difficult for him to continue working on the film, despite his passion to bring the iconic trio back to the big screen.Recalling his conversation with the producer, Priyadarshan claimed that Firoz A. Nadiadwallah had asked Akshay Kumar Not making a movie with him. “Firoz told Akshay, ‘You have the right to make Hera Pheri 3, but definitely not with Priyadarshan. This is my only request. He insulted me many times, telling me that my edit of Hera Pheri looked like a poor man’s version, so he had to edit my five-hour film. “The director added that he took up the project only because of Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal Personally I hope he comes back.“I initially agreed to do the third installment with Akshay because I thought I could make one of the biggest franchises in the country. If I directed it, I could make it bigger than ‘Dhurandhar’. Akshay, Suniel and Paresh asked me to make ‘Hera Pheri 3’. When I narrated the story to them, they were excited.”
Legal battles become major hurdle
Priyadarshan said questions surrounding the film began almost as soon as it was announced in 2025. He revealed that he received a call from Seven Arts Films GP Vijayakumar, warning him that continuing with the project might violate the existing copyright agreement.Explaining the situation, the filmmaker said the rights issues have become so complicated that he no longer believes the original trio will reunite in the film.“When Hera Pheri 3 was announced, I got a call from Seven Arts GP Vijayakumar saying that if we make the film, it will be a violation. I don’t know what to do. That’s why I said Hera Pheri 3 may never see the same characters on screen. You will never see them again because there are so many legal issues with it.”He further added, “As far as I know, ‘Hera Pheri’ was born, ‘Hera Pheri 2’ got sick and ‘Hera Pheri 3’ will die.”
“Hera Pheri 3” copyright dispute
The legal dispute dates back to claims filed earlier this year by South Indian producer GP Vijayakumar, who claimed that Firoz A. Nadiadwallah did not own the “Hera Pheri” franchise. Vijayakumar claims that he acquired the full rights of the series in 2022 from Adithya Films, the producers of the Malayalam classic “Ramji Rao Saying” on which the original “Hera Pheri” was based.He further claimed that Nadiadwala only purchased the Hindi remake rights of Ramji Rao’s Speech and later made a sequel, which was beyond the scope of the agreement. Speaking about the controversy, Priyadarshan described the matter as “a legally complex copyright battle”.
Priyadarshan on Paresh Rawal’s brief exit
The director also revealed about Paresh Rawal’s temporary exit from “Hera Pheri 3” in May 2025. There were reports at the time that Paresh Rawal was unhappy with his pay and the way his character was portrayed. Akshay Kumar even filed a Rs 25-crore lawsuit against Rawal before he finally returned to the project.Priyadarshan, however, dismissed the reports, claiming that the issues stemmed from legal uncertainty rather than financial disagreements.“At that time, Paresh Rawal received a legal notice from Firoz A. Nadiadwallah stating that although Akshay had the rights for the third part, Nadiadwallah had not sold the three main characters including Baburao. Paresh Rawal panicked and wanted to take legal advice on the matter, so he walked away from the film. Money is not an issue. “Despite the uncertainty surrounding the series, Priyadarshan expressed hope that the much-loved series will survive. “Hera Pheri is one of my favorite films, so no matter what the outcome is, no matter who makes it, let’s keep Hera Pheri alive and bring joy to the people who love it.”Professionally, Priyadarshan has a large portfolio of projects across multiple languages. The veteran filmmaker recently reunited with Akshay Kumar for the horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, marking their collaboration after a gap of several years. He also directed the Malayalam courtroom drama Justice, starring Mohanlal.