Phir Hera Pheri was inspired by Jason Statham’s Love Stock & Two Smoking Barrels; Here's where you can watch both on streaming - Did you know?

The art of making a successful comedy movie is not easy. The genre is the trickiest one, even if it feels like a breezy affair when the movie lands on the big screen. While India has many such beloved films in various languages, and we treasure them close to our hearts, one that sits at the top tier of this list is Hera Pheri. A cult classic comedy movie that stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Om Puri, and an ensemble cast is a work of masters. The film is revered as the best in the country, and over the years, fans have been wanting it to turn into a running franchise. Of course, it was renewed for a sequel, and we got Phir Hera Pheri. The main trio returned, but this time the female lead was Bipasha Basu. The movie, if not equally successful, was indeed lapped up by the audience.

Phir Hera Pheri Was Inspired By This Film?

But there are always secrets about films that are fascinating, and when you learn them, they turn out to be wild. Directed by Neeraj Vora, Phir Hera Pheri was a story about three misfits who have garnered a fortune but have no idea what to do with it now. But they want more, so they invest in a fraudulent scheme, and the fraud creates another comedy of errors. Raju brings one more scheme and takes the other two for a ride to doom yet again. But now, what if we tell you that the film is actually inspired by a Hollywood movie that stars Jason Statham in the lead? Surprising, right? Read on to know everything you should about the same.

According to a Republic World report, Phir Hera Pheri was loosely inspired by the Hollywood movie Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. An ensemble movie that stars Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, alongside Jason Statham, is about four young criminals who aim to earn big money in the underworld. However, things go wrong, and they find themselves in front of a local mobster to whom they now owe a lot of money. He gives them a week to return it, and havoc ensues. Sounds similar? Well, it is indeed a fascinating piece of trivia.

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It was never officially confirmed that Phir Hera Pheri was actually inspired by director Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. However, what is interesting is that both movies are available to stream in India on Lionsgate Play. You can also watch both with your OTTplay Premium subscription.

Hera Pheri 3 Was Once On Track

Meanwhile, the world has been waiting for Hera Pheri 3. There was an announcement made last year that the Hera Pheri trio would return for the third part, but nothing about the same ever came to fruition. However, earlier this year, Priyadarshan, the director of the first film, spoke about not wanting to return to his glorious franchise. According to News18, he said, "I cannot engage in familiar territory; it stifles my creativity. That’s why I declined the offer for Hera Pheri 2. My days with Hera Pheri are behind me. For me, that chapter is closed. Akshay and I have explored numerous comedic ventures, both together and individually. Now, I’m eager for us to venture into uncharted territory. Hence, we’re refining the script."

Stay tuned to OTTplay for more information on this and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

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