The third instalment of the film Hera Pheri, titled Hera Pheri 4', is going to have Sanjay Dutt and Nana Patekar in the lead roles instead of Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal. It is learnt that the film has been delayed because both Akki and Paresh don't have the necessary dates required by producer Feroz Nadiadwala.

Though insiders believe that the move is triggered by the lacklustre run of the Phir Hera pheri at the Box Office, officially it is stated that the actors backed out, as they don't have dates.

Confirming the news a source said, "Both actors have lost interest in the project and have made it clear they have no interest in coming together for yet another Hera Pheri film. Producer Firoz Nadiadwala delayed the film in the hope that he would be able to convince them to stay on, but now he has no choice but to go ahead with different actors."

Talking about approaching Sanju and Nana, the source adds, "In all probability, you will see Dutt in Akshay's role and Nana in place of Paresh. Both the actors have good comic timing."

However Nadiadwala claims that the news is completely untrue and baseless.

"The script has shaped up really well and we are planning to go ahead with it in coming months. We never make announcements, it's just a matter of time before we actually start shooting," he says.