{ "id": "epcztvfysq", "slug": "hera-pheri-1976-film", "title": "Hera Pheri (हेरा फेरी) (1976 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": 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"label": "India · 1946 to 2000: Released 1976 to 1979", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1976-1979", "path": [ { "id": "geo.ind", "label": "India", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946", "label": "India · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema", "label": "Indian films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s", "label": "Hindi films of the 1970s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s" }, { "id": "geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1976-1979", "label": "Released 1976 to 1979", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.ind.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1976-1979" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Hera Pheri (हेरा फेरी) is a 1976 Hindi action comedy directed by Prakash Mehra, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna as con-man friends Vijay and Ajay, distinct from the 2000 film of the same name.", "snippet": "Hera Pheri (हेरा फेरी) is a 1976 Hindi action comedy directed by Prakash Mehra, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna as con-man friends Vijay and Ajay, distinct from the 2000 film of the same name.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.indian-cinema.hindi-films-of-the-1970s.yr-1976-1979", "markdown": "# Hera Pheri (हेरा फेरी) (1976 film)\n\n**Hera Pheri** (हेरा फेरी) is a 1976 Hindi-language action comedy film directed by [Prakash Mehra](https://www.edgepedia.org/prakash-mehra), starring [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan) as the con man Vijay and [Vinod Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinod-khanna) as his friend and partner in crime Ajay, whose friendship collapses when Vijay discovers that the man who killed his father may be Ajay's long-lost father.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/) • [2](https://www.shemaroome.com/bollywood-retro-15min-movies/hera-pheri) The title is now often associated with the 2000 comedy of the same name, but the 1976 film is a separate work made nearly a quarter of a century earlier.[3](https://shantanuraychaudhuri.com/2026/09/30/the-hera-pheri-you-may-have-missed/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / producer | Prakash Mehra; produced by Satyendra Pal under the Chaudhary Enterprises banner[4](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/hera-pheri-2/cast/) |\n| Lead cast | Amitabh Bachchan (Vijay), Vinod Khanna (Ajay), Saira Banu (Kiran Singh), Sulakshana Pandit (Asha Khanna)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/) |\n| Release | 1976; IMDb lists 3 October 1976 (India), while other sources give 1 October 1976 and 10 September 1976[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/) • [6](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hera-pheri) • [7](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/movies/hera-pheri-1976/cast-crew.html) |\n| Runtime | 164 minutes (2 hours 44 minutes)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/) |\n| Music | Kalyanji-Anandji, with lyrics by Anjaan and Indivar[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/) |\n| Genres | Action, comedy, crime, drama[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hera_pheri) |\n| Audience ratings | IMDb 6.6/10 from about 1,200 users; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 47% from 50+ ratings[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/ratings/) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hera_pheri) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nVijay (Amitabh Bachchan) and Ajay (Vinod Khanna) are best friends and small-time con artists who team up to swindle wealthy people with criminal backgrounds.[2](https://www.shemaroome.com/bollywood-retro-15min-movies/hera-pheri) Their partnership breaks when Vijay discovers that Ajay's long-lost father, P.K. (Pinchoo Kapoor), now masquerading as the respectable Seth Ghanshyamdas, is the criminal who killed Vijay's father.[2](https://www.shemaroome.com/bollywood-retro-15min-movies/hera-pheri) Despite Vijay's attempts to convince him, Ajay rejects his friend and sides with his father, setting in motion what the film's synopsis describes as a bloody saga of familial revenge.[2](https://www.shemaroome.com/bollywood-retro-15min-movies/hera-pheri) • [8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hera_pheri) The story asks whether Ajay will see through the conman claiming to be his father and reconcile with his friend.[10](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/hera-pheri/umc.cmc.6nsid06b0mldr52orlrt2vw1)\n\nA fuller synopsis adds that Vijay first spots Sherry, who helped P.K. kill his father, while gambling, and that P.K. disguises himself as Ghanshyam and moves freely while pretending to be Vijay's friend before Ajay learns that P.K. is his father and joins him.[6](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hera-pheri)\n\n## Cast and crew\n\nThe film pairs Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna in the lead roles, with [Saira Banu](https://www.edgepedia.org/saira-banu) as Kiran Singh and [Sulakshana Pandit](https://www.edgepedia.org/sulakshana-pandit) as Asha Khanna.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/) The supporting cast includes Shreeram Lagoo as Police Commissioner Khanna, Pinchoo Kapoor as P.K. / Ghanshyamdas, Goga Kapoor, Mac Mohan, Asrani in an uncredited guest appearance, Yunus Parvez, Padma Khanna, Tun Tun, Urmila Bhatt, and P. Jairaj.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/) • [11](https://fmdb.mov/movie/170645)\n\nBehind the camera, Vijay Kaul wrote the story and screenplay, Satish Bhatnagar wrote the dialogue, and Anjaan and Indivar (Shyamalal Babu Rai) wrote the lyrics.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/) N. Satyen was the cinematographer and K.H. Mayekar and Jayant Adhikari the editors.[7](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/movies/hera-pheri-1976/cast-crew.html) The music was composed by the Kalyanji-Anandji team, Kalyanji Veerji Shah and Anandji Veerji Shah, with playback singing by [Lata Mangeshkar](https://www.edgepedia.org/lata-mangeshkar), Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, and [Mahendra Kapoor](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahendra-kapoor).[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/) One listed soundtrack song, \"Mujhey Pyaar Me Khaat Kisine Likha Hai\", was performed by Lata Mangeshkar with lyrics by Anjaan and Indivar and music by the Shah brothers, released on Polydor records.[12](https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~vaibhavvyas/cs784/IMDB_data/html_data/tt0073104.html)\n\n## Production and context\n\n**Prakash Mehra's streak with Bachchan.** Mehra had produced and directed *[Zanjeer](https://www.edgepedia.org/zanjeer-1973-film)* (1973), the blockbuster that established Amitabh Bachchan's Angry Young Man persona and began a working relationship that spanned seven more films, including *Khoon Pasina*, *Hera Pheri*, *[Muqaddar Ka Sikandar](https://www.edgepedia.org/muqaddar-ka-sikandar-ep9mwc9mvq)*, *Laawaris*, *Namak Halal*, *Sharaabi*, and *Jaadugar*.[13](https://www.dff.nic.in/images/Documents/115_IPCatalogue2009.pdf) *Hera Pheri* is also counted among Bachchan's best-known buddy films co-starring Vinod Khanna.[14](https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf) Moviebuff notes that it is one of six films in which Khanna and Bachchan starred together, and that all their collaborations were quite successful.[15](https://www.moviebuff.com/hera-pheri-1976-hindi)\n\n**Box office.** A retrospective review describes the 1976 *Hera Pheri* as one of the biggest hits of 1976, after which Mehra promptly planned his next film repeating Bachchan and Khanna.[16](https://snratings.wordpress.com/2022/09/09/thisweekthatyear-series-prakash-mehras-smash-hit-action-comedy-herapheri-reviewed/)\n\n## Reception and legacy\n\nOn Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a Tomatometer score of 47% from 50+ ratings, with an audience Popcornmeter average of 3.5 out of 5.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hera_pheri) IMDb users have rated it 6.6/10 from about 1,200 votes.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/ratings/) A contemporary-style user review on IMDb praises Bachchan's comedic work, made during the period of his angry young man image, and singles out Asrani's short part as the best of the film, while conceding that the plot itself is not the film's strength.[12](https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~vaibhavvyas/cs784/IMDB_data/html_data/tt0073104.html)\n\nA 2026 retrospective by the writer Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri, an author and editor in Indian film publishing, argues that the 1976 film remains one of the more curious outliers in Prakash Mehra's filmography, standing apart from his brooding dramas *Zanjeer* and *Muqaddar Ka Sikandar*, and shows a filmmaker in a playful, mischievous mood blending genres with a lightness of touch.[3](https://shantanuraychaudhuri.com/2026/09/30/the-hera-pheri-you-may-have-missed/) The same piece emphasizes that for a generation of viewers the title now belongs to Priyadarshan's 2000 comedy and its 2006 sequel *Phir Hera Pheri*, whose characters and dialogue have entered everyday Hindi-film vocabulary.[3](https://shantanuraychaudhuri.com/2026/09/30/the-hera-pheri-you-may-have-missed/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Hera Pheri (1976) - Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/fullcredits/)\n2. [Hera Pheri, ShemarooMe synopsis](https://www.shemaroome.com/bollywood-retro-15min-movies/hera-pheri)\n3. [The Hera Pheri You May Have Missed, Shantanu Ray Chaudhuri](https://shantanuraychaudhuri.com/2026/09/30/the-hera-pheri-you-may-have-missed/)\n4. [Hera Pheri Cast List, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/hera-pheri-2/cast/)\n5. [Hera Pheri (1976), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/)\n6. [Hera Pheri, Indian Film History](https://www.indianfilmhistory.com/movie/hera-pheri)\n7. [Hera Pheri Cast & Crew, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/movies/hera-pheri-1976/cast-crew.html)\n8. [Hera Pheri, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hera_pheri)\n9. [Hera Pheri (1976) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073104/ratings/)\n10. [Hera Pheri, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/hera-pheri/umc.cmc.6nsid06b0mldr52orlrt2vw1)\n11. [हेरा फेरी (1976), FMDb](https://fmdb.mov/movie/170645)\n12. [Hera Pheri (1976), IMDb data mirror](https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~vaibhavvyas/cs784/IMDB_data/html_data/tt0073104.html)\n13. [Indian Panorama Catalogue 2009, Directorate of Film Festivals](https://www.dff.nic.in/images/Documents/115_IPCatalogue2009.pdf)\n14. [Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, indiancine.ma](https://indiancine.ma/texts/indiancine.ma%3AEncyclopedia_of_Indian_Cinema/text.pdf)\n15. [Hera Pheri, Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/hera-pheri-1976-hindi)\n16. [Prakash Mehra's smash hit action comedy Hera Pheri reviewed, SNRatings](https://snratings.wordpress.com/2022/09/09/thisweekthatyear-series-prakash-mehras-smash-hit-action-comedy-herapheri-reviewed/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 1970s › Released 1976 to 1979*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [ "https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~vaibhavvyas/cs784/IMDB_data/html_data/tt0073104.html" ], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/hera-pheri-1976-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/hera-pheri-1976-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Hera Pheri (हेरा फेरी) (1976 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/hera-pheri-1976-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Hera Pheri (हेरा फेरी) (1976 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/hera-pheri-1976-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/hera-pheri-1976-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/hera-pheri-1976-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Hera Pheri (हेरा फेरी) (1976 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/hera-pheri-1976-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Hera Pheri is a 1976 Hindi action comedy directed by Prakash Mehra, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna as con-man friends Vijay and Ajay, distinct from the 2000 film of the same name." }