The news regarding the third installment of Hera Pheri being in the making has been going on forever. Only recently, however, the director of the hit film franchise quashed all hopes and rumors regarding the film.
Priyadarshan who helmed the film first in 2000, which was a remake of the 1989 Malyalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, said nothing had been decided or finalised regarding Hera Pheri 3.
According to media reports, the director had been reassigned the project. However, Priyadarshan told IANS: “It is true that I had one meeting with producer Firoz A. Nadiadwala and that was it. Nothing is decided and I can’t say whether if this will happen.”
He said Akshay Kumar was interested in the project, but that was just about that. Nothing more can be said about the installment.
Priyadarshan got his first shot to glory from the 2000 film, Hera Pheri, starring Akshay Kumar, Suneil Shetty and Paresh Rawal in lead roles.
“At the moment, I have finished the filming of my present film Marakkar: The Lion of the Arabian Sea. I did it in 104 days and the 63-year-old old in me is completely drained. The post-production is presently on in Chennai and my son Siddarth has come from the US as he is the ‘visual producer’ of the film. He says he needs eight months for it and after that I need three months to wrap it up,” said Priyadarshan.
The film, he said, would release next year.
The Kerala director added, “So my hands are tied, and hence, at this moment I can only say, nothing is decided on Hera Pheri 3.
Priyadarshan has been working in the industry for over three decades and has helmed more than 95 films in various Indian languages. Having begun his career in Malayalam cinema in the early 1980s, he became known for his comedies and some action films.
He was also one of the first directors to introduce rich colour grading, clear sound and quality dubbing through his early Malayalam films.