Even if Priyadarshan’s Bollywood fans feel Hera Pheri (2000), starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, and Tabu in the lead roles, is his tour de force, the director may not be among the movie’s biggest fans. In fact, he recently said candidly that the comedy-drama made his life “miserable.” He didn’t stop there and went one step further, rueing the process of making comedies.

Despite being renowned for his comedic movies in Malayalam, particularly his collaborations with Mohanlal, his early Bollywood outings were dramas, except for Muskurahat (1992) and Doli Saja Ke Rakhna (1998). However, he changed his career trajectory with Hera Pheri, a remake of Siddique-Lal duo’s Ramji Rao Speaking (1989), which catapulted him to great heights.

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Why Priyadarshan ‘hates’ shooting comedies

During a recent interview with , he said, “I started with serious films. Gardish (1993) worked for me, Virasat (1997) worked for me. Then Hera Pheri made my life miserable. After that, it was just comedy, comedy, and comedy. To be honest, I hate shooting comedies.”

His comments are intriguing since he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedy filmmakers in modern Indian cinema. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t tried his hand at other genres — there are quite a few serious dramas in his repertoire that earned widespread acclaim.

‘I don’t like actors making faces’: How Priyadarshan’s humour evolved

As the conversation progressed, he also admitted that his style of humour has evolved over the years. “Now, I have realised I can shoot films with humour and stories that have humour, instead of just joke after joke. I try situational humour. I don’t put gags and comedy tracks. Even in comedies, I believe all my characters are serious, but people find what happens to them humorous,” Priyadarshan pointed out.

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The director added, “I don’t like actors making faces. This is the only way I know. But still, I don’t like making comedies. When you make so many films in the same genre, you need a change. A lot of directors have a signature. But I don’t want that.”

About Hera Pheri 3

Although Hera Pheri was supposed to get a third instalment, with Priyadarshan himself returning to helm, the legendary director announced earlier this year that he was no longer a part of the proposed project. In an interview, he also said Hera Pheri 3 is unlikely to ever become a reality because of the legal troubles surrounding it.

Priyadarshan is currently gearing up for the release of Haiwaan, starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan in the lead roles. A remake of the director’s Malayalam film Oppam (2016), headlined by Mohanlal, Haiwaan hits the screens on September 11.