Time-leap for Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal in 'Hera Pheri 3'

Priyadarshan and Neeraj Vora, Indra Kumar is taking over the directorial reins of the third instalment in the 'Hera Pheri' franchise. Soon after, the filmmaker had revealed that he was working on the script and intended to take the film on the floors by the year-end. Almost a year on, we have learnt that Indra is no longer a part of the franchise, and producer Firoz Nadiadwala has brought back Priyadarshan on board.
According to a source close to the development, 'Hera Pheri 3' will have Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal reprising their roles as Raju, Baburao Ganpatrao Apte and Shyam respectively.But this time, they play characters closer to their real ages, which has been facilitated in the script with a time-leap. “It takes off from from where 'Phir Hera Pheri' ended, but fast-forwards into the present. The trip is desperate again but in a completely different scenario,” the source added.

When source reached out to Priyadarshan, the director confirmed that he has been in talks with Akshay, Suniel and Firoz for 'Hera Pheri 3', adding that it would be a while before he got to it. “I am currently busy with my Malayalam film, 'Marakkar: The Lion of Arabian Sea'. It is a huge film and I will only think about 'Hera Pheri' after this one is out of my system. Nothing is concrete as yet.”
The basic idea of the comedy was written by the late actor-filmmaker 'Neeraj', who also directed the second instalment, and Priyadarshan will work with his team to develop it into a screenplay. “While the leads are eager to reunite, they don’t want to sign the film just to milk the brand. They are waiting for a narration,” the source informed.
Meanwhile, Indra Kumar has moved on to another project. Buzz is, he is reuniting with his 'Total Dhamaal' leading man, Ajay Devgn, for his next. The third 'Hera Pheri' film has been in the news since 2015. It was initially planned with Abhishek Bachchan stepping into Akshay’s shoes but soon after it went on the floors, the project was shelved. In mid-2018, it was announced that Akshay would be back in the franchise, but the team was reportedly not satisfied with the script.