Much anticipated, but seemingly jinxed — that’s Hera Pheri 3 for you. The comedy franchise’s third instalment, which was announced in January 2025, faced a fresh blow earlier this week when producer Firoz A Nadiadwallah announced that Priyadarshan would no longer helm the Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal-starrer; something that was further confirmed by the director. So, what caused the filmmaker to exit a project that he was deeply invested in? Legal tangles and Nadiadwallah’s behaviour towards him, he said.

In an exclusive chat with mid-day, Priyadarshan revealed, “Firoz told Akshay, ‘You have the rights to make Hera Pheri 3, but never make it with Priyadarshan. That’s my only request.’ He has insulted me so many times — he told me that my cut of Hera Pheri [2000] looked like a poor man’s version, that he had to edit my five-hour movie. I initially agreed to do the third part with Akshay because I thought I could make one of this country’s biggest franchises. If I had directed it, I could’ve made it bigger than Dhurandhar. Akshay, Suniel, and Paresh requested me to make Hera Pheri 3. When I narrated the story to them, they were all excited.”