After fronting some music videos, acting was a natural graduation for Nupur Sanon, who made her debut with the recently dropped web series, Pop Kaun. She may be new to the industry, but she doesn’t have to look too far for inspiration. Her elder sister Kriti Sanon, one of the prominent leading ladies of the current crop, serves as an example that Nupur wishes to emulate.

“I always tell her that I love the way she has conducted herself. It’s easy to let fame go to your head because, as an outsider, you have never seen stardom before. Also, people around you hype you up. But Kriti has balanced it all, and remembers her roots. The best thing about her is that she has remained the same [despite the fame],” shares Nupur.

The Disney+ Hotstar series saw her sharing screen space with Kunal Kemmu, Johnny Lever and Saurabh Shukla. Up next, Nupur has Noorani Chehra opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui. While she hopes that her sister’s level-headed approach rubs off on her, she admits that she is too close to Kriti to analyze her performances.

“I can’t analyze her acting because I know her very well. Even by looking at a small nuance on screen, I can tell her, ‘You are faking it here. Your voice changed here.’ More than her acting, I am inspired by her [conduct].”

The chatter around Hera Pheri 3 refuses to die down anytime soon. First, the makers were asked to get actor Akshay Kumar back for the third instalment, and now that he is, it appears that fans aren’t too pleased with filmmaker Farhad Samji helming the project. The first two films of the franchise were directed by Priyadarshan and Neeraj Vora, respectively. On Friday evening, Akkistan, a fanclub of Kumar’s on Twitter, urged movie buffs to unite and make ‘Remove Farhad Samji from Hera Pheri’ trend. And it is among the top trends on the platform.

Talking to us about the uproar, Neeraj Raut, owner of the fan club, says, “Starting from Entertainment (2014), Housefull 3 (2016) to Bachchhan Paandey (2022), none of Farhad’s films have helped Akshay sir at the box office or content-wise. It has caused more damage to his image.”

The demand for another director for Hera Pheri 3 grew after Samji’s recent directorial, the web series Pop Kaun? received negative reviews across sections. “We were against him from the first day, and now we’re absolutely sure he should not ruin a classic franchise. His content is becoming cringier with every project,” rues Raut, who penned an open letter for the actor.

While the Hera Pheri fans call for Samji’s removal, industry experts seem divided over the opinion. Trade expert Atul Mohan agrees with the fans’ sentiment, saying, “We should respect public opinion. Earlier, nobody cared who directed a film, but now, ardent fans want to have a say. Producers should reconsider getting someone sensible who can do justice to a popular franchise.”

While trade expert Taran Adarsh agrees “Twitter trends can influence”, he adds, “It will be the producer and the actors who will take the call.”

Trade analyst Komal Nahta, however, feels it’s too early to comment on whether a particular director should helm a project or not. “If they start deciding who should make a film, then why don’t they start make it? They have a right to comment once the film is available to the public,” he shares.

Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty-starrer Hera Pheri is easily among the films whose dialogues have been celebrated long after its release. The growth of social media gave fans a means to keep the movie alive with memes and jokes, none of which went unnoticed by industry folk.

Director Farhad Samji, who is set to helm the third edition of the film, asserts that the upcoming version cannot be called a “comeback film” since fans haven’t forgotten the first two editions to begin with. 

“Hera Pheri has remained alive all these years through memes, and satellite screenings. Films like Hera Pheri, Munna Bhai, and Golmaal are the kinds that stay in our hearts and in pop culture, indefinitely,” he says.

An array of promising movies has established Samji’s command over his craft, but fans of the franchise appear to harbour concerns about the new edition, given that the previous films were helmed by Priyadarshan and the late Neeraj Vora. “The official announcement [of me serving as director] is yet to come. Let it happen, and then we can have a discussion on it.”

In the interim, he plans to train his focus on his next, Pop Kaun. The Disney+ Hotstar project is based on a man who has multiple fathers. “I remember the moment when I zeroed in on the title. The idea of a man having multiple fathers [needed attention]. The fun began when we cracked the title, Pop Kaun. It signifies two things — one, you can enjoy the show while having popcorn, and two, it refers to the actual narrative.”