Mumbai: The much-anticipated comedy franchise ‘Hera Pheri 3’ has been mired in controversy since its announcement, and now writer Rohan Shankar has confirmed his exit from the film due to the ongoing legal disputes.
The writer further added that he would consider returning to the project only if Priyadarshan comes on board as the director.
“I was in talks, and it was supposed to happen, but it didn’t because of legal issues. Hopefully, if Hera Pheri 3 happens and if Priyadarshan sir is there, maybe I will be too,” Rohan was quoted as saying by news18 Showsha.
When asked what he meant by saying “if Priyadarshan sir is there”, the writer said, “No, Priyan sir, because he is doing a lot of work, we have just shot Bhoot Bangla and Haiwan, and now he has to do another film. After that, he has to do a film with Mohanlal sir, which is his 100th film… He doesn’t stop. Priyan sir works a lot. Priyan sir and Akshay sir are workaholics.”
He further explained, “He has to do one film, then write another, then shoot it, so he keeps on going. Now, in that structure, when will Hera Pheri happen and when will all of this be solved? If it’s solved quickly, then Priyan sir will do it. I don’t know what is happening there, but Priyan sir won’t stop amid all of this. He might make five films before Hera Pheri even starts.”
For those unaware, just when fans were excited about the return of Raju, Shyam and Baburao, ‘Hera Pheri 3’ ran into unexpected legal trouble.
A producer from the South approached the Madras High Court claiming that the rights to the franchise do not belong to producer Firoz Nadiadwala.
According to a report by Bar and Bench, Seven Arts International Limited told the court that Nadiadwala was only allowed to make one Hindi remake of the Malayalam film ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’ (1989) and that remake became ‘Hera Pheri’ (2000).
The company also claimed that he went beyond his rights by making ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ in 2006 and later selling rights for a third film.
The matter has now turned into a legal dispute, with the court reportedly questioning whether ‘Hera Pheri 3’ can be made legally in the current situation.
