Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 16, 2017)

It appears that the positive response to Fukrey Returns, which released last week, have the makers eager to capitalize on the success of the franchise. mid-day has learnt that producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani have already greenlit the third instalment.

Talking about the Ali Fazal, Varun Sharma, Pulkit Samrat, Manjot Singh and Richa Chadha starrer, a source says, “They will return to essay the same characters, with the same quirks. While there was a gap of four years between the first two instalments, the third part is likely to hit screens by mid-2019.”

The source adds that director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba has been asked to begin work on the script already. The cast members have also been told to block their dates for filming next year. The third outing will kick off from where part two concluded. “Initial ideas being tossed around suggest that part three will show Bholi Punjaban contesting elections. She eventually becomes the chief minister of Delhi,” reveals the source, adding that the production house is eyeing a five-part series.

We reached out to the producers, but they remained unavailable for comment.