The long-standing copyright battle surrounding Hera Pheri 3 has taken a major turn. Cape of Good Films LLP, the production house owned by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, issued a comprehensive public notice claiming absolute, exclusive worldwide rights to the highly anticipated comedy sequel.
Published in the trade magazine Complete Cinema, the legal notice serves as a stern warning to the Indian film trade and corporate entities against negotiating or exploiting the movie’s intellectual property with any third parties.
Strict Legal Warning to the Film Industry
The public notice is directly addressed to all sectors of the entertainment industry—including film distributors, exhibitors, theater chains, over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, television networks, digital aggregators, and advertisers.
According to the legal declaration:
“Cape of Good Films LLP is the sole and exclusive holder of an irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual, and unencumbered licence to produce, distribute, market, exploit, commercialise, and otherwise deal with the cinematograph film presently titled ‘Hera Pheri 3’ (‘the Film’), together with all rights therein, across all modes, media, platforms, technologies, and formats, whether now known or hereafter devised.”
The company explicitly cautioned stakeholders against striking any deals, arrangements, or transactions without its prior written sign-off, stating that anyone acting to the contrary will do so “entirely at their own risk” and face full legal recourse in law and equity.
A Franchise Plagued by Creative and Legal Turmoil
This decisive move by Akshay Kumar’s banner comes at a chaotic time for the franchise, which has been plagued by production delays, creative fallouts, and copyright disputes over the past year.
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Priyadarshan’s Exit: The notice follows days after veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan confirmed he had officially stepped away from directing the project. Priyadarshan publically accused producer Firoz A. Nadiadwala of repeatedly insulting him during their association—revealing that Nadiadwala had explicitly requested Akshay Kumar to make the third installment without him.
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Cast Instability: The film was initially envisioned as a nostalgic reunion for the iconic trio of Akshay Kumar (Raju), Suniel Shetty (Shyam), and Paresh Rawal (Baburao Apte). However, Paresh Rawal briefly walked away from the movie in May 2025 due to legal panic surrounding character rights before eventually returning.
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Overlapping Copyright Claims: Beyond internal friction, the film is entangled in a multi-layered legal battle. External producers have previously claimed that Nadiadwala never owned the permanent franchise rights, only holding the original Hindi remake rights for the Malayalam classic Ramji Rao Speaking.
Before exiting, a frustrated Priyadarshan went as far as telling the media that the copyright disputes are so deeply fractured that “Hera Pheri 3 will be dead” and might never actually hit theaters. By releasing this public notice, Cape of Good Films aims to clear the air, eliminate industry ambiguity, and cement its absolute control over the future of the franchise.
