After Priyadarshan and Neeraj Vora, Indra Kumar takes over as director for 3rd ‘Hera Pheri’ film.
Almosrt 2 decades later, Priyadarshan’s Hera Pheri emerged as one of the most successful comedies in Bollywood, producer Firoz Nadiadwala is gearing up to revive the franchise with a third installment. Tentatively titled Hera Pheri 3, the film will be directed by Indra Kumar (Masti, Dhamaal fame) and will bring back the original trio of protagonists — Akshay Kumar as Raju, Suniel Shetty as Shyam and and Paresh Rawal as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte.
“The project was locked last month after the three actors gave their dates. It will be shot in a start-to-finish schedule between December 2018 and February 2019 and will release in the second half of next year,” a source close to the development told Mumbai Mirror.
Last month, Akshay had taken to Instagram to share a picture with his “oldest friend and co-star” Suneil, with whom he caught up in Mumbai. The image fueled speculation around a potential reunion for the duo after Suniel’s cheeky reply to the post, “Aye Raaaaajjjuuuu! Always such a pleasure to see you, so happy to be smiling together forever”, calling out to Akshay by his character’s name from Hera Pheri.
Taking over the reins from Priyadarshan, who directed the 2000 original, the late actor-writer director Neeraj Vora had helmed the 2006 sequel, Phir Hera Pheri. After the film’s success at the box-office, the filmmakers had planned to re-unite for a follow-up.
By 2014, Neeraj had locked the story, screenplay and dialogue. The pre-production had begun in Delhi in the summer of 2016 when Neeraj slipped into a coma in October. Firoz moved his friend into his own home and ensured that he got the best medical care available. But despite his best efforts, Neeraj passed away on December 14, 2017, after remaining comatose for over a year at Firoz’s Juhu bungalow, Barkat Villa. “Hera Pheri 3 will be a tribute to Neeraj’s work at the movies,” the source adds.
