After the National Award-winning blockbuster Badhaai Ho, Junglee Pictures brings the second part of this franchise titled, Badhaai Do
BOMBAY TIMES (March 9, 2020)

As the name suggests, Badhaai Do is a family comedy that revolves around an unlikely relationship and promises double the fun and emotions. While the story and characters of Badhaai Do are different from that of Badhaai Ho, there is an endearing common theme between both the films.

Helmed by prolific ad filmmaker and director of Hunterrr (2015), Harshavardhan Kulkarni, the film will bring on the screen the fresh pairing of National Award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao and powerhouse performer Bhumi Pednekar. Rajkummar plays the role of a Delhi cop, who is the only male police officer in a mahila thana, while Bhumi plays the role of a school PT teacher, much to her family’s stress. Unlike each other, yet made for each other, the film is the about the goofups that follow when they meet and their lives intertwine in more than one way.

Director Harshavardhan Kulkarni says, “I have always admired the kind of films that Junglee Pictures has made, so when they came to me with this social comedy, I was instantly on board. Just like the delightful Badhaai Ho, the milieu of this film remains the same, but with a fresh set of characters and a completely new, zanier situation.”

Akshat Ghildial, who wrote Badhaai Ho and won awards for its crackling dialogues, is penning this one too, along with Suman Adhikary whom the idea originally came from. Akshat said, “Suman came up with this interesting idea, and since I have a great relationship with Junglee, I shared it with them. They liked it immediately. And then, Harsh came on board. We had great fun developing it and hope that the audience has an equally good time watching it.”

Talking about her role, Bhumi says, “Badhaai Ho is one of my favourite films in recent times, and it is really exciting to take this franchise forward. For me, the script is one of the best that I have ever come across, and I immediately wanted to do this film. My character again is strong, independent and author-backed, and it gives me a lot of scope to bring a very different and cool character to life. This time, too, the film will say something extremely relevant and relatable, but in a hilarious manner. I’m also excited to share screen space with Raj for the first time.”

Rajkummar adds, “I have played a cop before, but never with this perspective. I look for layered characters and this is a perfect match. My character is surrounded by strong women at home and work, and that adds immense depth to his personality. Junglee Pictures’ Bareilly Ki Barfi was a fabulous experience for me. Badhaai Do is a reunion in many ways.”

Amrita Pandey, CEO, Junglee Pictures, said, “Junglee Pictures believes in telling rooted Indian stories that not only entertain you, but also move you in many ways. Badhaai Ho was just that for us. And that being a high-concept comedy, it was logical for us to expand the canvas to tell more such stories. Cultivating the right synergy on films like these is the key, and with Akshat and Suman’s writing and Harsh’s vision, Badhaai Do is really one of the best stories for us to tell.”

The film is all set to go on floors in June and to release by early next year.
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Headlined by Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao, the Junglee Pictures production will be directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni and goes on the floors in June; is targeting an early 2021 release
MUMBAI MIRROR (March 9, 2020)

After Junglee Pictures’ 2018 sleeper hit, Badhaai Ho, bagged two National Awards, Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and Best Supporting Actress (Surekha Sikri), Mirror (August 12, 2019) had reported that producer Junglee Pictures is all set to take the social-comedy forward with a second instalment. We have now learnt that Bhumi Pednekar and Rajkummar Rao will headline the second part in the franchise, titled Badhaai Do.

Directed by prolific ad filmmaker and Hunterrr director Harshavardhan Kulkarni, Badhaai Do is a family comedy, which revolves around an unlikely relationship. The earlier film revolved around accidental parental pregnancy, the lady in question being the 40-plus mother of two boys in their 20s and was universally liked and feted. While the story and the characters will be different from that of the first part, the two films are connected by a common theme. While Raj plays a Delhi cop, the only male cop in a mahila thana, Bhumi essays the role of a school PT teacher, much to her family’s stress. Unlike each other, yet made for each other, the film is about the goof-ups that follow when they meet, and their lives intertwine in more ways than one.

Confirming the news, Bhumi says, “Badhaai Ho is one of my most favourite films in recent times and it is really exciting to take this franchise forward. For me, the script is one of the best that I have ever come across and I immediately wanted to do the film. My character again is strong, independent and author-backed, and it gives me a lot of scope to bring a very different and cool character to life. This time too, the film will say something extremely relevant and relatable but in the most hilarious manner. The film has its heart rooted in family values. With each character I have portrayed I have tried to push the envelope and I look forward to doing that with this role too. I am excited to share screen space with Raj for the first time. He is an artiste I have always wanted to creatively collaborate with.”

Rajkummar, a National-Award winning actor too, is delighted to be a part of the project. “I have played a cop before but never with this perspective. I look for layered characters and this one is a perfect match. My character is surrounded by strong women at home and at work and that adds immense depth to his personality. Harshavardhan and Bhumi are both dear friends and extremely talented artistes. Junglee Pictures’ Bareilly Ki Barfi was a fabulous experience for me. So, Badhaai Do is a reunion in many ways,” says Raj.

Harshavardhan informs that he has always admired the kind of films that Junglee Pictures have made. “So, when they came to me with this social comedy written by Akshat (Ghildial) and Suman (Adhikary), I just flipped and was instantly on board. Just like the delightful Badhaai Ho, the milieu of this film remains the same but with a fresh set of characters and a completely new zanier situation. I am so looking forward to this edition being brought to life by Rajkummar and Bhumi, two of the most talented actors,” says the director.

Akshat, who wrote Badhaai Ho and won awards for its crackling dialogues including Filmfare’s Black Lady, is penning this one too, along with Suman, whom the idea originally came from. “Suman came up with this interesting idea and since I have a great relationship with Junglee, I shared it with them. They liked it immediately. And then, Harsh came on board. We had great fun developing it and hope that the audience has an equally good time watching it,” Akshat says.

Junglee Pictures CEO, Amrita Pandey adds, “Junglee Pictures believes in telling rooted Indian stories that not only entertain you but also move you in many ways. Badhaai Ho was just that for us. And that being a high-concept comedy, it was logical for us to expand the canvas to tell more such stories. Cultivating the right synergy on films like these is the key, and with Akshat and Suman’s writing and Harsh’s vision, Badhaai Do is really one of the best stories for us to tell. With fantastic actors like Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar, Junglee Pictures is really excited to take the franchise of Badhaai Ho forward with Badhaai Do.”

Badhaai Do is set to go on floors in June and will release by early 2021.