Writer Rohan Shankar denies exiting Akshay Kumar’s 'Hera Pheri 3': 'Fake news is being spread in my name'

Writer Rohan Shankar has denied reports claiming he has exited ‘Hera Pheri 3’, calling the chatter around his alleged departure inaccurate and misleading. The clarification comes as fresh speculation about the film’s status continues to build, especially given that the project is already tied up in legal questions over franchise rights. Shankar said the narrative being circulated does not reflect the facts and urged people not to believe headlines built from remarks taken out of context.In comments cited from his social media statement, Shankar wrote, “Some fake news is being spread in my name about a big film. It’s completely false and has almost no truth in it. A simple interview about my work and cinema has been taken out of context and turned into a clickbait headline. Please ignore it.” His response directly addresses reports that said he had stepped away from ‘Hera Pheri 3’. In his conversation with News18, Shankar explained that he had been involved in discussions around the film and had also written its teaser. He said, “I was in talks, and it was supposed to happen, but it didn’t because of legal issues. Hopefully, if ‘Hera Pheri 3’ happens and if Priyadarshan sir is there, maybe I will be too.” That statement suggests the issue is less about a personal exit and more about the film’s unresolved production hurdles.Shankar also spoke about director Priyadarshan’s packed schedule. He said, “No, Priyan sir, because he is doing a lot of work, we have just shot ‘Bhooth Bangla’ and ‘Haiwan’, and now he has to do another film. After that, he has to do a film with Mohanlal sir, which is his 100th film… He doesn’t stop. Priyan sir works a lot. Priyan sir and Akshay sir are workaholics.”The larger issue remains the legal fight around the franchise. According to Bar and Bench, Seven Arts International Limited moved the Madras High Court, arguing that producer Firoz Nadiadwala had the right to make only one Hindi remake of the Malayalam film ‘Ramji Rao Speaking’. The company alleged that he exceeded those rights by making ‘Phir Hera Pheri’ and later selling the rights to a third film.