Priyadarshan set to retire? 5 unforgettable movies by the director

Hera Pheri

In a 1997 interview, Priyadarshan declared Chandralekha would be his last pure comedy. He told the media, "Chandralekha will be my last comedy film. Hereafter, my films will have humour but no comedy. I am not interested in comedy any more."

Priyadarshan said that he was not taken as seriously as directors of other genres, just because he stuck to comedy.

Then in 2000, Hera Pheri was born which went on to hook audiences for over two decades since! In fact, Hera Pheri 3 will be his last project. Who would've thought?

Virasat

Priyadarshan clearly has an eye for visuals! Apparently, he found the content of Virasat quite good, but he felt that the shots weren't well-done, which he worked on in his version of the movie.

Virasat received sixteen nominations at the 43rd Filmfare Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Priyadarshan.

De Dana Dan

De Dana Dan was partially adapted from the Hollywood film Screwed, some scenes were taken from the 2004 film Vettam, of course, directed by Priyadarshan himself. 

The movie features an ensemble cast comprising Akshay, Suniel, Paresh, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy. It grossed ₹81.90 crore against a budget of ₹60 crore.

Sure, it was not as big a hit as Bhool Bhulaiyaa, but surely, we all laughed at the jokes, and not at the director, as Priyadarshan assumed?

Malamaal Weekly

Written and directed by Priyadarshan, this 2006 hit starred Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Riteish Deshmukh, Rajpal Yadav and Asrani. Shot on a village set near Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, the plot revolves around a villager, Lilaram's pursuit of a lottery ticket which pays ₹1 crore. This was one plot Priyadarshan reportedly did not have to exaggerate because it was closer to reality.

Bhool Bhulaiyaa

This 2007 horror-comedy movie grossed ₹497 million in India and became the 6th highest-grossing Bollywood film that year, landing it a cult status. It tackled dissociative identity disorder in a light-hearted manner.

In case you weren't aware, this movie was remade from the 1993 Malayalam horror-thriller Manichitrathazhu, starring Mohanlal.