‘Hera Pheri 3 will never happen’: Priyadarshan exits franchise amid legal troubles

3 min readKochiJun 29, 2026 04:30 PM IST

The Hera Pheri movies are headlined by Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty. (Credit: Express Archives, Facebook/@DirectorPriyadarshan)

Dealing a significant blow to Hera Pheri fans, director Priyadarshan has officially announced that he is no longer a part of the proposed third instalment in the film franchise. Although the filmmaker had expressed hope earlier this year that Hera Pheri 3 would materialise in the near future, even if not this year, he has now revealed that he has stepped away from the project.

Priyadarshan went one step further and noted that the movie is unlikely to become a reality ever due to the legal troubles haunting it. While producer Firoz A Nadiadwala was the first to announce the director’s departure, Priyadarshan himself later confirmed it.

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Why Priyadarshan believes Hera Pheri 3 will never happen

“What Firoz has said is true. I am not associated with Hera Pheri 3 at the present. To the best of my knowledge, Hera Pheri 3 will never hit the screens due to lots of legal issues and personal conflicts. Whether I am involved or not is unimportant,” he told Hindustan Times.

During a conversation with Variety India, producer Firoz had, however, said that the project was moving ahead. “Things are on track and moving in the right direction,” he said, adding, “Priyadarshan is not part of it.” With Priyadarshan and Firoz offering two different outcomes for Hera Pheri 3, it remains to be seen how things will pan out.

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What’s plaguing Hera Pheri 3?

Besides the legal battle over its rights, Hera Pheri 3 had also found itself in trouble after actor Paresh Rawal abruptly exited the project, leading to his co-star Akshay Kumar suing him for Rs 25 crore. However, Paresh later confirmed that his issues with the makers had been resolved amicably. Besides Paresh and Akshay, the franchise also features Suniel Shetty in a key role.

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Priyadarshan told Mid-Day, “Both Akshay and Paresh called to say that everything is sorted. I was in shock when Paresh said, ‘Sir, I’m doing the movie. I have never had anything except a lot of respect for you. I’ve done 26 movies with you, and I’m sorry to have left the film. There were some personal issues.'”

He added, “Hera Pheri cannot happen without any of the three lead characters. Recently, on a flight, a diamond merchant and his family came to me and requested me to bring Paresh back. They said they won’t watch the film otherwise.”