Suniel Shetty recalls Hera Pheri being a ‘disaster’ upon release, says Border was called a ‘documentary’: ‘Now it’s one of the biggest hits’
Suniel Shetty has been a part of some of the most iconic films in the Hindi film industry, including Priyadarshan's Hera Pheri and JP Dutta's Border. In a recent interaction, Suniel recalled that Hera Pheri initially received 'zero' footfalls during the first two shows but gained momentum during the evening shows. He shared that Border shared similar fate. Despite these slow starts, Suniel was confident in the merit of both films.
Talking on Bharti TV, he said, "The first two shows of Hera Pheri were flat. Zero. It was a disaster. However, when we were shooting it, we were laughing like crazy. Me, Paresh, and Akshay were confident it was a blockbuster during shooting because the film had such great actors - Paresh Ji, Om Puri Ji. Paresh and Akshay's timing was unbelievable. The film later picked up after 6 pm. The same case was with Border. Sometimes, the films you believe in the most, get a delayed reaction. They used to call Border a documentary, and now it's one of the biggest hits of Indian cinema."
Lauding Priyadarshan's brilliance, he said, "Priyadarshan had writers like Neeraj Vora. His timing was so good, and working with him felt like going back to school for higher studies. He worked in sync with his art director, cameraman, and writers." Suniel also added that the filmmaker would shoot a single scene for ten days to capture it in the perfect light.
Though Hera Pheri received mixed reviews upon its release and attained moderate box office success, it has evolved into a cult classic and is widely regarded as one of the best Indian comedy films ever made. Hera Pheri's sequel, Phir Hera Pheri, was released in 2006. Hera Pheri 3 is also in works and will see the three lead actors - Paresh, Suniel and Akshay - reunite on the big screen.
Border 2 was also announced recently with Sunny Deol leading the cast. Suniel Shetty's character died in the original film.
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