The Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar-starrer 'Badhaai Do', whose storyline revolves around a lavender wedding (a marriage between a man and a woman for the purpose of hiding homosexuality), is all set to release in UAE. The movie, however, will not be screened in Sharjah. After receiving the Censor certificate, the film will be screened only on night shows in UAE for persons above 21 years of age.
Earlier, when certain countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan, banned the screening of Chloe Zhao's sci-fi adventure drama, 'Eternals', because of the refusal of its makers to delete certain gay-themed scenes, the UAE had allowed the film's release.
Although 'Badhaai Do' has no obvious expressions of same-sex love, as in the case of the 'Eternals' characters Ben and Phastos kissing each other, it clearly has an LGBTQ+ theme, which is not acceptable in the Middle East. Directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni, Badhaai Do is a sequel to the National Award-winning film Badhaai Ho.
Wath the trailer of the film here:
The film was released in India on February 11. Besides critics, the audience also hailed the film for its 'inclusive' storyline and soulful acting. Rajkummar and Bhumi starrer opened to mixed reviews with many loving the 'hatke' subject of the story while some feel it was a little stretched. Besides Rajkummar and Bhumi, it boasts of an ensemble cast featuring actors like Seema Pahwa, Sheeba Chadha, Chum Darang, Lovleen Mishra, Nitish Pandey and Shashi Bhushan amongst others essaying pivotal roles & taking the narrative ahead.
-with IANS inputs
