Hindi cinema viewers have seen different films with similar titles releasing after a gap of decades like AANKHEN, DOSTANA, SHANDAAR, BARSAAT, HERE PHERI, DILWALE and many more. These are not remakes but completely unrelated films reusing the same old titles. On the other hand, we have also seen more than three films made together on the same subject of Bhagat Singh’s life story with different titles, confusing the audience in the beginning of this new millennium.
However as a rarest of rare case (or probably for the first time), this year we are witnessing two new films with almost similar titles releasing at a gap of just a couple of months without any one raising an issue or publicly complaining about the other.
The film releasing first is VEEREY KI WEDDING featuring Pulkit Samrat, Kriti Kharbanda, Jimmy Shergill, Satish Kaushik and more in the lead roles, directed by Ashu Trikha who has earlier given films as BAABARR and KOYELANCHAL.
The second one is the comparatively bigger film titled VEERE DI WEDDING featuring Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Swara Bhasker and more in the lead, directed by Shashank Ghosh. The film is produced by Sonam's sister Rhea Kapoor and is scheduled to be released after two months or so.
Now even when the films are supposed to be based upon entirely distinctive storylines, the only difference between their titles is of the word KI and DI which represent Hindi and Punjabi languages respectively. Though VEEREY KI WEDDING has his hero named as VEER, the word in Punjabi means brother and hence the title turns out to be ‘My Brother’s Wedding’, if interpreted in Punjabi.
Considering the short span of time both films are releasing in, its really surprising that neither there was any clash reported between its producers nor any step taken by the Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPAA) sorting the issue that could surely benefit both the films, the cast and their makers.
Anyway in the present scenario, misconception is bound to be there and its quite possible many opting for VEEREY KI WEDDING this week might come out of the theater wondering why there was no Sonam and Kareena Kapoor in the film as per their information?
No doubt quite strange and perhaps first of its kind instance in the history of Hindi Cinema.
Note : Interestingly the said titles are inspired from a catchy song from Akshay Kumar’s IT’S ENTERTAINMENT (2014) with a phrase as “Saadey Veerey Di Wedding Hai”
(The article was first published at UC News Mobile App in March 2018)
