Last Updated:April 01, 2026, 21:51 IST

Writer Rohan Shankar said that Priyadarshan is a workaholic and joked that he might made end up making 5 movies before Hera Pheri 3 shoot begins.

Rohan Shankar wrote Hera Pheri 3’s teaser.

Priyadarshan’s Hera Pheri 3 has been embroiled in controversy ever since the film was first announced. Fans were excited to witness Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal’s dynamic again. However, due to the legal battles in which the film is involved, its future seems in jeopardy. Amid all this, writer Rohan Shankar exclusively spoke to News18 Showsha and opened up about how Priyadarshan won’t let the crisis affect his work otherwise.

Shankar revealed that while he wrote Hera Pheri 3’s teaser and was supposed to work on the film, he is no longer a part of the project due to legal complications. He told us, “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.”

When asked what he meant by “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.”

Rohan 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 the unversed, just when fans were getting excited about Raju, Shyam and Baburao’s return, Hera Pheri 3 landed in unexpected legal trouble. A producer from the South moved the Madras High Court, questioning whether the much-talked-about film could even be made, after 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 approached the Madras High Court, arguing that Nadiadwala was authorised to make only one Hindi remake of the Malayalam cult classic Ramji Rao Speaking (1989). That remake was released as Hera Pheri in 2000, directed by Priyadarshan.

The production house claimed that the Nadiadwala exceeded his rights by making Phir Hera Pheri in 2006 and later selling the rights for a third film. The issue has now snowballed into a full-fledged legal dispute, with the court reportedly questioning whether Hera Pheri 3 is legally viable under the current circumstances.