Priyadarshan reveals Hera Pheri was a frame-to-frame remake, dialogues were direct Hindi translations: ‘Nobody wrote them in Hindi’

Filmmaker Priyadarshan has made several acclaimed Hindi remakes of South Indian films, but he admits Hera Pheri was an exception, and a surprising one at that. The cult comedy, starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal, had its dialogues directly translated from Malayalam into Hindi.

“I never copy the same film, except the one film which was made frame-to-frame, same as the original was Hera Pheri. Nobody wrote the dialogues in Hindi for that film; they are all translated,” Priyadarshan revealed in a recent interview with Pinkvilla. The 2000 classic was a remake of the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, directed by Siddique–Lal.

'I never show the original to actors'

Looking back at his approach to remakes, Priyadarshan explained why he avoids exposing his actors to the original films. “I never show the original film to the actor... I made this mistake a couple of times when I was remaking Malayalam films in Telugu, I showed Mohanlal’s films to actors and they tried to imitate him. Everybody has different body language. When I remake it with Akshay, I never show it to him. Also, I never make a film as it is. I always change. I never compare two actors,” he said.

Why most South remakes flop in Hindi

The veteran director also shared why many South-to-Hindi remakes struggle to work with audiences. “90% of remakes are flops because many South films, which are remade in Hindi, look like South films; they don’t look like Hindi films,” he noted. Instead, Priyadarshan credits his exposure to 70s and 80s Hindi cinema for helping him ground his films in Hindi sensibilities. “Manichitrathazhu and Bhool Bhulaiyaa both have different cultures and backdrop, you feel Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a Hindi film, you don’t feel like you are watching a South film,” he explained.

Sequels are 'just business'

Currently directing Hera Pheri 3, Priyadarshan also admitted that sequels rarely excite him from a creative perspective. “I don’t like sequels, I don’t believe in them because the whole problem is once a film is made and it has reached its zenith, so people’s expectations increase, and you will never be able to satisfy that. So, it is just a business. You can’t put your heart and soul and make a film,” he confessed.