Nadiadwala Doesn't Own Hera Pheri? Vijay Kumar's 100% Claim!

Producer Vijay Kumar Accuses Firoz Nadiadwala of Delaying Legal Battle Over 100 Per Cent Hera Pheri IP Ownership Rights

Hera Pheri 3 is in deep trouble. Vijay Kumar claims even the sequel was illegal! Is the iconic trio’s return officially cancelled? Read more inside

Mumbai, Monday. The legal storm over Hera Pheri 3 just took a turn so messy even Babu Bhaiya couldn’t fix it with a dhoti joke.

While fans have been eagerly waiting for the iconic trio of Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal to reunite on screen, a ghost from the past has returned to haunt the production. It turns out the fight isn’t just about the new movie anymore. It is about the very foundation of the franchise itself.

South-based producer Vijay Kumar, the Managing Director of Seven Arts International, is now claiming that Firoz Nadiadwala never had the rights to make a sequel in the first place. This means the cult classic Phir Hera Pheri might have been an unauthorised project all along.

The Remake Loophole That Changed Everything

The heart of the battle lies in a technicality from the late nineties.

According to Vijay Kumar, the original permission granted to Nadiadwala was strictly for a one-time Hindi remake of the Malayalam hit Ramji Rao Speaking. That remake became the legendary Hera Pheri in 2000.

However, the agreement allegedly ended there. Kumar claims that there was no provision for sequels, spin-offs, or the continued use of those beloved characters. When Nadiadwala went ahead and produced the 2006 sequel, Phir Hera Pheri, he supposedly did so without valid permission from the original creators.

According to Pinkvilla, as per our early estimates, this is not just a minor disagreement over money. It is a full-blown intellectual property war.

Kumar insists that his company, Seven Arts International, acquired the total rights for the franchise “clean and clear” from the original Malayalam producers in 2022. He argues that Nadiadwala cannot sell or transfer the rights to Akshay Kumar’s Cape of Good Films because you simply cannot sell something you do not own.

This creates a massive legal headache for everyone involved, especially for Akshay’s production house, which reportedly bought the rights unknowingly.

Why the Courtroom is Moving at a Snail’s Pace

The frustration is boiling over. Vijay Kumar is now openly accusing Firoz Nadiadwala of using tactical delays to stall the legal proceedings in the Madras High Court.

Every time a hearing approaches, there seems to be a new reason for a hold-up. Kumar believes these are intentional “delaying tactics” designed to keep the project in a state of limbo. He expressed his confusion over what Nadiadwala hopes to achieve by dragging his feet.

The court has already been questioning whether Hera Pheri 3 can even be legally made under the current circumstances.

Is Bollywood losing its most bankable comedies to ego and bad paperwork?

It is a fair question to ask. We are seeing a pattern where legendary franchises get stuck in “development hell” not because of bad scripts, but because of messy contracts signed decades ago. The industry mood is currently one of extreme caution.

Investors are nervous. Fans are becoming cynical. If the rights to the characters themselves are in question, can any studio safely put hundreds of crores into a production that might be stayed by a court on release day?

A Timeline of Broken Promises and Stalled Shoots

The journey of Hera Pheri 3 has been a roller coaster of emotions. In 2023, we saw that viral teaser shoot with the original cast that broke the internet. Then came reports of Paresh Rawal walking out, followed by a quick resolution.

Just as everything seemed back on track, this IP ownership bomb dropped. Paresh Rawal recently mentioned in an interview with The Comedy Factory that he is ready to shoot once the “technical issues” between the producer and the actor are resolved. But this new claim from the South suggests the “technical issue” is actually a giant legal wall.

The legal battle is currently centred in the Madras High Court, where Seven Arts International filed its petition. They claim they only realized the extent of the violation when they approached Akshay Kumar for a different project and discovered the rights had already been “sold” by Nadiadwala.

The court is now examining the original 1989 and 2000 agreements to see if the “one-time remake” clause holds water. If it does, the entire Hera Pheri empire could be built on shaky ground.

The road ahead looks long. Even if Nadiadwala wins, the time lost is something the stars can’t get back. The trio isn’t getting any younger, and the “Babu Bhaiya” magic relies on a certain energy that needs to be captured sooner rather than later. For now, the files are moving faster than the cameras.

Look, I want this movie as much as you do. But this legal mess is a nightmare.

Vijay Kumar claiming 100 percent ownership isn’t just a hurdle; it’s a roadblock. If Nadiadwala really didn’t have the rights for the second film, we are looking at a legal precedent that could halt the franchise forever.

My gut says they’ll eventually settle out of court for a massive sum of money, but until then, don’t hold your breath for a 2026 release. It’s a sad day when lawyers have more screen time than Raju, Shyam, and Baburao.
Gulshan Mishra – Journalist

Do you think the original trio should just move on to a new comedy franchise if the legal battle for Hera Pheri 3 takes another two years?