Celebrated Bollywood filmmaker Priyadarshan has made a surprising revelation about the cult comedy Hera Pheri. The director admitted that the 2000 classic, starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal, was not an original script but a complete remake of the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking.
Speaking in a recent interview, the 68-year-old filmmaker said, “Usually, I make changes in remakes, but Hera Pheri was a frame-to-frame copy. None of the dialogues were original; all were translated.”
Priyadarshan further explained his approach to remakes, saying he avoids showing the original films to actors. “I made that mistake once with Mohanlal’s Malayalam films remade into Telugu. The actors tried to copy him, but body language differs for everyone. Since then, I never show the originals.”
Despite being a remake, Hera Pheri went on to become one of Bollywood’s most loved comedy films, spawning two sequels and gaining cult status. Its dialogues and scenes continue to dominate social media even today, often resurfacing as memes and viral clips.
Priyadarshan’s statement sheds light on Bollywood’s long-standing trend of remakes and how cultural adaptation plays a crucial role in shaping cinematic success.
