Bollywood’s most favorite comedy film franchise ‘Hera Pheri’ is once again in the news, but this time the reason is not a new film, but a serious legal dispute. The film’s producer Firoz Nadiadwala has filed a complaint of fraud and extortion at Amboli Police Station in Mumbai. Nadiadwala alleges that some people have conspired together to grab his legal copyright and remake rights.
In his complaint, 62-year-old Nadiadwala said the controversy pertains to ‘Hera Pheri’, which is based on the 1989 Malayalam film ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’. He said that he had legally purchased the remake rights of this story in Hindi and other languages (except South Indian languages) for Rs 4.5 lakh from Suresh Kumar Singhal of M/s Compact Disc India Limited in the year 2000.
Nadiadwala told that in the year 2000, seven days before the release of ‘Hera Pheri’, some people had tried to extort money from him by putting pressure on him. “At that time, a huge investment had been made in the film, hence due to fear of defamation and loss, I was forced to give in and pay the money even though the court had given a stay order in my favour,” he said in the complaint.
According to the complaint, this matter has come up again after 25 years. Nadiadwala alleged that the owners of the original film, Siddique KL and M Paul Michael, despite knowing that the rights had already been sold, sold those rights again to Gopala Pillai Vijayakumar of M/s Seven Arts International for Rs 3 lakh on May 12, 2022.
Following their complaint, the police have registered a case against Gopala Pillai Vijayakumar and M Paul Michael under sections 318(4), 356 and 3(5) of the IPC, and further investigation is underway.
He further revealed that in December 2024, he received a legal notice in which his 2006 released film ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ was declared illegal. According to the complaint, the parties that sent the notice had demanded Rs 60 lakh and 25 percent share in the total profits of the film. Nadiadwala also alleged that related parties were obstructing the public listing process of his company. He said that false news was being spread about actors like Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty and Paresh Rawal by using their names, and this was damaging their professional reputation.
The police have started investigating this complaint, and the concerned parties may be called for questioning. The case focuses on Nadiadwala’s allegation that the rights related to ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ were misused, despite having already been sold; As a result, new demands emerged and legal action arose.