Dussehra effect: ‘Namaste England’, ‘Badhaai Ho’ will release a day early 

In what could be considered a Dussehra dhamaka, the two big Hindi releases this week Vipul Shah’s Namaste England and Amit Sharma’s Badhaai Ho have been given a last-minute early release.

Instead of the two films opening on Friday October 19 as per schedule, the two producers have taken a joint decision to release their respective films a day ahead, on October 18.

Explains Namaste England’s director Vipul Shah,  “It was  a very natural move. This year Dussehra is being celebrated on both the 18th and 19th, so we decided to let the audience enjoy the film on both days.”

Adds the Badhaai Ho director, “Badhaai Ho will be releasing on the 18th October, which is a day prior to its earlier release date. We came to this decision considering this is a 4-day long weekend and the overwhelming response that the film has been receiving. The long weekend will enable more families to go and enjoy the film in the theatres.”

The decision was mutual, with both the producers equally gung-ho with the change.

So which of the two would you like to see this week?  Amit Sharma’s Badhaai Ho is a naughty comedy about the embarrassment faced by the family when the matriarch  becomes pregnant at an age when she is eligible for grandmotherly joys. Ayushmann Khurrana now identified with quirky comedies and fresh on the heels of the success of his last release Andha Dhun a fortnight ago, plays the lead.

Vipul Shah’s Namaste England is the breezy follow-up to the 2007 hit Namaste London with Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra taking the place of Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif.

It looks like a blithe week at the movies this week.