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Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana head straight to Amazon Prime Video. The streaming service acquired Shoojit Sircar’s family drama and comedy film Gulabo Sitabo, which will skip theaters in what will be a landmark move for Bollywood. That is due to the current coronavirus pandemic, which continues to keep cinemas closed throughout India and much of the world. With no reopening in sight, the producers of Gulabo Sitabo, Rising Sun Films, co-directed by Sircar, and Kino Works have deemed it convenient to sell their movie in streaming. Amazon set a release date for Gulabo Sitabo on June 12 on Prime Video.
A few minutes before dawn on Thursday, Amazon, Bachchan, Khurrana, Rising Sun Moviesand Kino Works announced that Gulabo Sitabo will premiere on Prime Video. A poster featuring the characters of Bachchan and Khurrana – they portray the Lucknow-based puppeteers Gulabo (Bachchan) and Sitabo (Khurrana) – shared alongside, also featuring the logo of the television channel Sony Max, which suggests that Gulabo Sitabo could launch on pay TV sometime after its June 12 launch on Amazon’s streaming service. For its part, Sony India has yet to make an announcement.
Although Gulabo Sitabo is the first major Bollywood film to be broadcast directly, it is far from the first to be involved in such discussions. In late April, director J.J. Fredrick said that his Tamil-language courtroom drama, Jyothika star Ponmagal Vandhal, had been sold to a streaming service. It is expected to hit Prime Video later in May. Another report indicated that the horror comedy starring Akshay Kumar Laxmmi Bomb was in talks with Disney + Hotstar. In the same week, a third report said Netflix was in “final” talks with T-Series to acquire the dark comedy from the Anurag Basu anthology. Ludo, Bachchan-starrer Jhund’s sports biopic, and Kiara Advani-starrer’s comedy about coming of age Indoo Ki Jawani.
This move will surely fuel the conversation surrounding theatrical windows. After the Ponmagal Vandhal announcement, the Tamil Nadu Theater and the Multiplex Homeowners Association had threatened to blacklist producers who chose to skip theaters. In the USA In the USA, the leading network AMC Theaters has banned Universal Pictures, after it brought Trolls World Tour directly to video on demand (although not in India). And then, in early May, the Multiplex Association of India urged all parties to respect the theatrical window and help preserve the “collective and social experience of watching movies on the big screen.”
For Amazon, Gulabo Sitabo will only be India’s second movie on Prime Video. The first was Nawazuddin Siddiqui, the coming-of-age romantic drama starring Sanya Malhotra Photograph by The Lunchbox director Ritesh Batra in May last year. But even Photograph had a two-month theatrical performance (from March to May) in India before its release on Prime Video. It is worth noting that the photography was licensed by Amazon Studios in the US. USA Amazon’s Indian division has stayed away from the original movies entirely, unlike virtually every other streaming competitor in the country.
“Gulabo Sitabo is a kind of life drama that is a must for families at home,” Bachchan said in a mailed statement. “I was excited about my role from the first time Shoojit showed me what the character looked like. It took me almost three hours every day to get into the character with his different look. I had a wonderful time working with my talented co-star Ayushmann Khurrana. Although we are constantly joking around in the movie, it has been a pleasure working with him for the first time. This family artist has the power to cross geographic boundaries and we are pleased to bring Gulabo Sitabo to audiences around the world. “
Khurrana added: “Gulabo Sitabo is a special movie for me. It made me meet with my mentor Shoojit gives after Vicky Donor. Whatever it is today is thanks to him and I am happy that he has made me part of his vision again. Gulabo Sitabo also sees me sharing screen space with Mr. Bachchan for the first time and it’s a great time, it’s a dream come true for me. I have secretly wanted to work with him for many, many years and Shoojit gives He made this happen and I will be indebted to him forever. It has really been an honor for me to work with a legend and I feel enriched as an actor after the experience. What I love about the movie is its simple simplicity: the fleeting moments of simple humor in the jokes between a landlord and a tenant make this movie really special. I hope that the public will love the film and our chemistry when it opens. “
“At Amazon we are listening to our customers and working backwards from there,” said Vijay Subramaniam, director and content director for Prime Video in India. “Gulabo Sitabo is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. We are happy to exclusively release Gulabo Sitabo on Prime Video. It is the first step in our effort to provide superior film experiences at the doorstep of our clients. ”
Synopsis of Gulabo Sitabo
“Shoojit Sircar’s quirky playwright is the story of two intriguing, slimy foxes in a one-handed game, each drawing other members to his clan and each with an agenda of their own.”
Gulabo Sitabo release date
Gulabo Sitabo will be released on June 12 on Amazon Prime Video worldwide.
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