BOMBAY TIMES (May 9, 2019)

The makers of successful family entertainers like Raanjhanaa and franchises Tanu Weds Manu and Happy Bhag Jayegi, are set to give yet another quirky entertainer in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan.

Directed by Hitesh Kewalya, the film is a sequel to the 2017 sleeper hit, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (SMS), starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead. While SMS addressed the complex subject of erectile dysfunction with humour, the sequel delves into the subject of homosexuality.

Taking the highly anticipated franchise ahead are producer Aanand L Rai of Colour Yellow Productions, who is known for his eclectic choice of stories and actor Ayushmann Khurrana, who’s now synonymous with experimental films.

Says Aanand, “The success of SMS encouraged us to turn it into a franchise, which tackles taboo subjects in the most light-hearted manner. With Zyada Saavdhan, we have a great story in hand and who better than Ayushmann to play the lead. Hope audiences enjoy it as much as the first film.”

Ayushmann adds, “It is a beautiful story told in the quintessential Aanand Rai-style of film-making, which is known to touch hearts and leave a smile on the face. It is a pleasure to collaborate again with the master storyteller of our times.” Talking about the sequel, he reveals further, “It is one of the most brilliant scripts that I have read in a long time, and it also handles the subject of homosexuality, sensitively. An out-and-out entertaining film, it will also make you think, which is the hallmark of good cinema.”

With Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan scheduled to release early next year, the casting for it is already underway.
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Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 9, 2019)

The Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer 2017 sleeper hit Shubh Mangal Saavdhan is now being turned into a franchise. The second film in the series has been titled Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and will feature Ayushmann again, along with another actor who is still to be cast. It is expected to go on the floors in the last week of August. The film will be shot in a start-to-finish schedule with the entire ensemble cast and the makers are targeting an early 2020 release.

While the original was based on the 2013 Tamil film, Kalyana Samayal Saadham, and marked the Bollywood debut of its director R S Prasanna, the sequel will be helmed by Hitesh Kewalya who had written the earlier social comedy. “The first draft of the script has been locked. This time the makers have decided to bring homosexuality as the main theme in a mainstream Hindi film,” revealed a source close to the development.

Producer Aanand L Rai confirmed the news, saying, “The Shubh Mangal Saavdhan franchise is our tribute to the churning that keeps our society alive. Every installment will deal with a topic that touches every person but no one wants to speak about it publicly. Like the first film, this one too will broach a taboo subject with great sensitivity and light humour. I anticipate a lot of conversations and cheer around the second film too.”

According to the source, it is another social comedy set in a small town. “It revolves around how a conservative family comes to terms with the fact that their son is gay. The humour is situational,” added the source.

Before moving to Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Ayushmann will wrap up Dinesh Vijan’s Bala which kicked off on Monday and features him as a small-town guy who is battling premature balding. It is directed by Amar Kaushik of Stree fame and also features Bhumi Pednekar, Yami Gautam, Saurabh Shukla, Javed Jaffrey and Seema Pahwa.