Acche Din seems to be finally coming for Firoz Nadiadwala, who has been unsuccessfully attempting to revive his popular three comedy franchises for years. The producer’s last feature film was Welcome Back (2015), eight years ago, and since then he has been trying to make sequels to his hit comedy flicks, Hera Pheri, Awara Pagal Deewana, and Welcome. These projects have been in the news constantly with many rumoured developments over the years, but they never took off for varied reasons.
As Nadiadwala shoots the announcement promo for Hera Pheri 3 with the original cast, the gate has opened for his other two sequel projects as well. While Welcome 3 is still at the nascent stage, we hear things have been finalized for Awara Pagal Deewana 2. Peepingmoon.com has exclusively learned that Firoz Nadiadwala has locked in Awara Pagal Deewana’s sequel as well and contrives to take it off the floor soon after the completion of Hera Pheri 3.
Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal will return to reprise their popular quirky characters of Guru Gulab Khatri, Yeda Anna, and Manilal Patel, respectively, and will be joined by John Abraham as a fresh cast addition. "Akshay, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal were already committed to this film, and now John has also verbally agreed to be a part of it. APD 2 will be a brand-new narrative that will take these crazy characters on yet another exhilarating adventure filled with humour, wit, entertainment, and loads of action. The script is locked, and the film is expected to go into production later this year," a source close to the project told us.
Awara Pagal Deewana was praised for its lavish action stunts, and Firoz Nadiadwala aims to raise the bar a notch higher with the sequel by mounting it on an unprecedented scale. Baaghi 2 and 3 director Ahmed Khan takes on the directorial responsibility this time, and he has already begun the preparation. "Firoz and Ahmed have locked in a cracking script that promises an unlimited dose of entertainment. APD 2 will be bigger and better in each department, especially in the actions for which they will bring an international team on board. Everything is in place as things stand today, and one hopes that it goes as planned," the source added.
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal will start shooting for Hera Pheri 3 around June 2023. The third installment of the most-loved comedy franchise sees the three actors’ iconic characters of good-for-nothing men pulling off a scam on an international scale. The Farhad Samji directorial is set to be shot in Mumbai, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Los Angeles. Awara Pagal Deewana is expected to get off the ground soon after Hera Pheri 3, with a big ensemble cast on board. Welcome 3, meanwhile, is currently in the writing stage with no director attached to it yet. Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi’s casting in Welcome 3 that surfaced a few days ago is mere speculation with no truth to it.
Stay tuned to Peepingmoon as we soon bring more updates on Akshay Kumar's upcoming lineup!