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Priyadarshan’s directorial venture, Hera Pheri, starring Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty, has achieved high status in Hindi cinema. The movie is a gem for cinephiles. However, during a recent podcast for Bharti TV, Suniel Shetty revealed that Hera Pheri was initially a ‘disaster’ upon its release. Shetty recalled that the first two shows were flat with zero footfalls. Despite this, he and his co-stars, Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar, believed the film would be a hit while filming due to their confidence in its potential.
Suniel Shetty recalls how Hera Pheri was a flop initially
The film experienced a surge in viewership in the evening, eventually becoming successful. Shetty highlighted Paresh Rawal and Kumar’s unbelievable comic timing as a significant factor in the movie’s eventual success.
Shetty also compared Hera Pheri to the 1997 film Border, in which he starred. He recounted that Border was initially dismissed as a “documentary,” but later became one of Indian cinema’s biggest hits. Border had an ensemble cast including Sunny Deol, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Akshaye Khanna, Jackie Shroff, Pooja Bhatt, and Tabu. The sequel, “Border 2,” is set to begin filming in October 2024.
In Hera Pheri, Kumar played Raju, Shetty was cast as Shyam, and Rawal portrayed Baburao Ganpatrao Apte. The plot revolves around two tenants, Raju and Shyam, and their landlord, Baburao, who are desperate for money. They accidentally receive a ransom call due to a cross-connection with Devi Prasad’s phone and devise a plan to keep the ransom money. The film also featured Tabu, Om Puri, Mukesh Khanna, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Gulshan Grover, with the screenplay and dialogues penned by the late Neeraj Vora.
The sequel, Phir Hera Pheri, was released in 2006, retaining the lead trio and adding Rimi Sen, Bipasha Basu, Ravi Kishan, Johnny Lever, and Rajpal Yadav to the cast.
Hera Pheri 3 is now in the works, with Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty reuniting. Farhad Samji will direct the third instalment, with Suniel Shetty confirming that promos have been shot and expressing hope for the film’s success.
