Blockbuster director Anees Bazmee admits he is rather fed up of all the speculation regarding Hera Pheri 3.“I keep reading all kinds of reports about Akshay Kumar being in and out of the project, about Kartik Aaryan being signed. I also keep reading that I am directing Hera Pheri 3,” says Anees a tad sarcastically.

So, what’s truth? “The truth is, I have in principle said yes to Firoz. But since I am not writing Hera Pheri 3—the producer Firoz Nadiadwala has an idea for the script and he will get someone to work on it—I can only come on board officially after I read the script.”

Anees who has over the years spun such success stories on celluloid as No Entry, Welcome, Singh Is Kiing and of course Bhool Bhulaiya 2 , admits the script is king. “For me the writing part of a film is the most important. If that works, everything else falls in place. If the script doesn’t work nothing else does. This is why I am saying I will take a final call on Hera Pheri 3 only after the script is ready.”

Also , there is the issue of Anees Bazmee’s pending payment. Producer Firoz Nadiadwala allegedly hasn’t paid Anees fully for Welcome Back, the film that Anees directed for Firoz in 2015.

Anees admits , “It is true that I have not been paid fully for Welcome Back.Quite a bit of the payment is pending. But one has to move on. Of course if I agree to direct Hera Pheri 3 for Firoz Bhai I will have to be more cautious about the payment. I am hopeful he will clear my earlier payments before Hera Pheri 3.”