Actor is collaborating with Junglee Pictures for a family entertainer which rolls early next year
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 24, 2017)

Three months after the hit romcom, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Ayushmann Khurrana is reuniting with Junglee Pictures for another comedy which rolls at the end of January in Delhi. Badhaai Ho is a coming-of-age story of a family as it grapples with some unexpected news. The film follows the impact of the news on the family and how the members deal with it in their own way. It will be directed by Amit Sharma, who has helmed over a 1000 ad films, including the one on Google Reunion and a short film for Kashmir tourism, and made his feature film debut with the Arjun Kapoor-Sonakshi Sinha-starrer Tevar in 2015.

Confirming the news, Ayushmann says, "I had a fantastic experience collaborating with Junglee Pictures for Bareilly Ki Barfi and working with them on Badhaai Ho is going to be exciting. The story that Amit tells is typically Indian with dollops of quirky humour. I look forward to a family film that is innovative and entertaining."

Amit has been working on the script for the last two-and-a-half years with his writers, Akshat Ghildial and Shantanu Srivastava, since the former came up with a one-line story idea. While he refuses to divulge details for fear of giving away the plot twist, he admits that he fell in love with it instantly. "It's very real and easy to relate to. What is funny for others is a matter of concern for the family," Amit informs, revealing that coincidentally co-producer Priti Shahani had been working on a similar concept but after reading each other's scripts, they agreed that his was better and decided to collaborate.

Priti says, "Our release for this year, Bareilly Ki Barfi, received much love from the audience. It has been fantastic working with Ayushmann and we are now looking forward to collaborate with him again on Badhaai Ho. Amit is an exceptional director as is evident from his body of work. We couldn't have asked for a better team coming together to tell this story."

On his choice of the hero, Amit reasons that Ayushmann who has brought taboo subjects like sperm donation, body-shaming and erectile dysfunction to the screen, is a likeable and relatable actor.

On the catchy title he adds that Badhaai Ho was the working title from day one, and while he had intended to change it along the way, he quickly realised that it's simple, apt, quirky and a part of many people's everyday lingo. "I hope one day soon people will tell me 'Badhai Ho' too," he signs off with a laugh.