Producer Firoz Nadiadwala made two very successful Hera Pheri films with superstar Akshay Kumar. Then, for some reasons best known to them, they had massive fall-out and Hera Pheri 3 was announced with John Abraham replacing Akshay Kumar. That project never took off, and then the purported director of Hera Pheri 3, Neeraj Vora, fell ill and passed away.
Now Akshay and the cast of the original Hera Pheri film, namely Paresh Rawal and Suniel Shetty, are reunited for the third film in the franchise. So what happened? “Time happened. Time is the greatest healer. Akshay is a fabulous actor and an even better human being. We sorted out the issues, and here he is back in Hera Pheri,” exults producer Firoz Nadiadwala who has been going through a rough patch during the past few years with massive public fall-outs with directors Raj Kumar Santoshi and Anees Bazmee and the worst blow, the death of Firoz’s friend writer-director Neeraj Vora who passed away in Firoz’s arms. Says Firoz sadly, “Neeraj was not just my friend. He was my brother. More than a brother… He stayed with me in my house till his death. I kept hoping against hope that he would recover and direct Hera Pheri 3. That wasn’t meant to be. But I know Neeraj is with me. He is watching over me. And he will guide me through Hera Pheri 3.” Firoz has elected veteran director Indra Kumar to direct Hera Pheri 3. Explaining his decision, Firoz says, “Indra Kumar is a director who understands the sur and taal of an Indian comedy. With his experience in the field, he’s best qualified to take over the Hera Pheri franchise. I’ve full confidence that Hera Pheri 3 will turn out to be as successful as the first two films.” The first Hera Pheri film starred Akshay, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal as three out-of-luck wastrels out to make quick money. Soon after the film was completed producer Firoz Nadiadwala had a showdown with director Priyadarshan who was replaced in the second part by Neeraj Vora. “It’s the story of my life,” sighs Firoz. “But now everything is falling into place. Besides Hera Pheri 3, I’ll be announcing several other projects soon.”
