Director Priyadarshan Says He Might Retire After Completing His 100th Film, Starring Mohanlal

Veteran director Priyadarshan, known for making blockbusters in as many as three Indian languages, recently opened up about retirement and his plan to take a break from direction after completing his 100th film. In a recent interview with OnManorama, the director spoke about feeling tired from the filmmaking process, due to which he chose to make the third part of Hera Pheri. He is currently in the process of finishing Bhoot Bangla, Hera Pheri 3 and Haiwaan, all with Akshay Kumar. The pooja function pictures of Haiwaan were released just last week. After these three, he is also expected to make his 100th film with Mohanlal in the lead. That, he says, will be his final film as director.

He also revealed that Mohanlal will play a cameo in Haiwaan, a film that is said to be a remake of his own Malayalam film Oppam, although he denied that claim. Haiwaan also reunites Akshay Kumar with Saif Ali Khan, 17 years after they made Tashan.

Meanwhile, Haiwaan marks Kumar and Priyadarshan's third film collaboration in recent times. The duo, whose last project was Khatta Meetha in 2010, recently wrapped up the horror comedy Bhoot Bangla and are also committed to shooting Hera Pheri 3.  While Bhoot Bangla, also starring Tabu and Wamiqa Gabbi, is expected to release in April 2026, there is still no update on the timelines of Hera Pheri 3, which also reunites Kumar with his co-stars Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal.

Earlier this year, four months after officially announcing the third part of the comedy franchise Hera Pheri, the makers hit a hurdle: Paresh Rawal quit the movie. The veteran actor, who starred as the fan-favourite character Baburao Ganpatrao Apte, announced that he won't be returning to star in Hera Pheri 3. But the actor eventually announced that he will return to the film, adding that all issues were "resolved" and there was no "controversy" now. Rawal's long-time friend and co-star Akshay Kumar had sent him a legal notice claiming damages worth ₹25 crores, citing unprofessional behaviour as the veteran actor walked out of the project after signing the contract. Kumar is producing Hera Pheri 3 under his banner, Cape of Good Films.