Priyadarshan on Paresh Rawal's exit from Hera Pheri 3: ‘Not aware’

THe contention around here Pheri 3 doesn’t seem to terminate anytime shortly. Amid the take’s ongoing rights battle, it was recently reported that one of the lead stars, Paresh Rawal, has exited the project and even returned his signing amount of ₹11 lakh along with 15 percent interest. While Paresh has not officially confirmed the same, the film’s director Priyadarshan recently opened up about the matter.What did Priyadarshan say?According to ETimes, when they approached Priyadarshan to clarify Paresh’s future in the film, the filmmaker, who is supposed to direct the third instalment of the iconic franchise, said, "I am not aware."This isn’t the first time news of Paresh exiting the film has surfaced. In 2025, Akshay Kumar, who plays the lead role in the film and is also backing the project, had reportedly filed a ₹25 crore lawsuit against Paresh Rawal following his abrupt departure from the film. However, the matter was later resolved with Paresh returning to the project. He also shot for Bhooth Bangla with Priyadarshan and Akshay.Akshay on Hera Pheri 3’s futureEarlier, while speaking to Subhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Akshay had announced that the film isn’t happening at the moment. He said, “Hera Pheri 3 abhi filhaal toh nahi ban rahi (The film is not happening as of now). Mujhe khud jhatka laga tha. Koi baat nahi, Welcome bana li. Thoda kuch mantra padna padega ki sab theek ho jaaye. Abhi ek saal toh nahi hain. Uske bohot saare issues hain, aisa nahi hain ki hum teeno (actors) saath nahi hain. Welcome to the Jungle mein hum teeno saath hain. Kuch kuch cheezein hoti hain jo main camera pe nahi bol sakta. Bohot saari cheezein, agreements hain, which takes the project backwards (I am myself in shock. But that’s okay. I think we need some good mantras to make it happen. For the next one year the film is not on track. There are many issues, but not with us three actors. We are working in Welcome to the Jungle. There are some things that I cannot speak on camera. There are agreements).”He added, “Apne aap ayega, jab waqt aayega tab ban jaayega. Bas yahi hein ki budhapa na ho jaaye tab tak (It will come on its own time. When the time is right, the film will be made. I hope we are not old by that time)!”What is the legal issue with Hera Pheri 3?For the unversed, Hera Pheri 3 has been caught in legal trouble from the very beginning. Production house Seven Arts International filed a case against the film’s makers, claiming that Sajid Nadiadwala only had the rights to remake one film — the Hindi adaptation of the Malayalam original Ramji Rao Speaking (1989).While the makers did create the adaptation — the first Hera Pheri film, which released in 2000 — Seven Arts alleged that Nadiadwala violated the agreement by making the sequel Phir Hera Pheri in 2006 and then transferring the rights of the film to Akshay Kumar’s production house, Cape of Good Films.