Whether or not you watched Phir Hera Pheri as a kid, you most likely watched it after the avalanche of memes that flooded the internet. Along with the first 2000 film starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal, the 2006 comedy film was dug up more than ten years after its release and has become a viral pop culture phenomenon in the country.
It is regarded as a watershed moment in Indian comedy. It provides us with countless iconic moments that we can relate to on a sunny day or rainy one. Phir Hera Pheri and its prequel Hera Pheri are Indian comedy’s flag-bearers, having created a cult following even 15 years later – and rightly so.
The production of Phir Hera Pheri was not without its setbacks. Priyadarshan, the director of Hera Pheri, refused to make a sequel for fear of diluting the film’s magic, so Neeraj Vohra was hired. The absurd deadpan humour delivered by the bonkers trio of Baburao, Raju, and Shyam, who shared the screen once again, punctuated the film. They were released on June 6, 2006, and haven’t left our minds since.
The film starred Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal as three good-natured men who become wealthy thanks to a bizarre turn of events involving a misdialed phone number and a sinister kidnapping gone awry. Tabu also played a vital role in the film, which established the new-age comedy genre in Bollywood.
Hera Pheri is a unique kind of mad comedy film that will make you laugh at every expression and dialogue, not just once but many times over. Every character, including the quirky yet memorable characters Raju (Akshay Kumar), Babu Bhai (Paresh Rawal), and Shyam (Suniel Shetty), and the hilarious comedy of errors they find themselves in, is meticulously planned.
The film’s simplicity is essentially what makes it iconic. Hera Pheri is a film in which everyone has problems, and there is so much humour in those problems that it is difficult to stop watching.
Also, audiences must have found it amusing that action heroes were doing comedy and being controlled by someone like Babu Bhai in this film. Then there was the basic script, the writing, the dialogues, Priyadarshan’s legendary direction, and the entire team that worked so hard. Hera Pheri is the epitome of flawless teamwork.
The Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, and Suniel Shetty trio are incredible. The trio’s bonding is exceptional. This is the part that gives the comedy an emotional edge. It’s beautiful how they stick together, sharing their highs and lows despite fights and misunderstandings.
The most popular comedy of all time, Hera Pheri, has only one sequel, Phir Hera Pheri, and the third instalment is currently awaiting approval.
