The filmmaker Priyadarshan who created several popular comedies for Hindi films shows his commitment to filmmaking because he wants to create movies and proceed to his next project.

He spoke to us about his filmmaking projects the sequel trend in the industry and his current work which brings him joy.

Bhooth Bangla was never supposed to be Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. The release of his next film Bhooth Bangla which stars Akshay Kumar has been moved forward to an April theatrical release.

Talking about it Priyadarshan says, “I have no idea why that was done. It was entirely the decision of the makers (Akshay, Ektaa Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor). As far as I’m concerned the film is ready. We were originally planning to release it in May but the makers said that some big films were releasing at that time. Then suddenly I got a call from Ektaa asking if we could release it earlier. I said okay because once I am done with the film I don’t get involved in those matters.”

“Recently speculation suggested that Bhooth Bangla may have once been conceived as a sequel to Bhool Bhulaiyaa (directed by him and starring Akshay and Vidya Balan) but the filmmaker dismisses that outright. This is not true because neither I nor the producer (Bhushan Kumar) discussed a second part,” he says.

Priyadarshan also carved out glowing praise for having directed Akshay Saif Ali Khan and Paresh Rawal for their next project Haiwan.

“Akshay, of course, is someone I’ve known for years. But this is the first time I’m working with Saif. He is so committed to what he does, and I enjoyed working with him. He comes to the set with so many questions always wanting to understand every detail. So we’ve developed a great equation I answer and he keeps asking,” he laughs.

He states that Hera Pheri 3 has faced continuous controversies because its current production faces disputes about franchise rights and music rights.

The third instalment recently ran into fresh legal trouble after producer GP Vijayakumar approached the Madras High Court claiming that he and not Firoz Nadiadwala holds the copyright to the franchise.

“There are a lot of complications around that. Even when part three was announced certain people said they have the rights to the film while others claimed rights to the music. Even Bhushan (Kumar) published a public notice stating that the music of part three belongs to his label. There are many complications that need to be sorted out. Only then can we think about part three,” he says. Will the film go on floors this year? “Definitely not this year,” he says.