Happy birthday, Aanand L Rai: Popular films produced by him
Filmmaker Aanand L Rai is best known for directing movies such as Tanu Weds Manu, Raanjhanaa, and Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Apart from being an acclaimed director, Rai is also a popular producer who releases films under his banner Colour Yellow Productions. On his 52nd birthday, we take a look at some of his best projects as a producer and not a director.
'Nil Battey Sannata'
The maiden venture of Rai as a producer was the 2015 movie Nil Battey Sannata which was released as The New Classmate internationally. The comedy-drama, starring Swara Bhasker, Riya Shukla, Aditi Tailang, and Ratna Pathak Shah, was directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari. Though the film reportedly opened on less than 300 screens in India, it widely received positive reviews and critical acclaim.
'Happy Bhag Jayegi'
After Nil Battey Sannata, Rai's next production venture was Diana Penty, Abhay Deol, Jimmy Sheirgill, and Ali Fazal starrer Happy Bhag Jayegi. The romantic comedy-drama directed by Mudassar Aziz was released in 2016. It also starred Pakistani actor Momal Sheikh in a pivotal role. Though it received mixed reviews upon its release, the film is loved for its comic scenes even today.
'Shubh Mangal Saavdhan'
Starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar as the front cast, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan was jointly produced by Rai's banner and Eros International. The title is said to be a Hindi remake of the Tamil movie Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013). Both, the original and the remake, were directed by RS Prasanna. A standalone sequel of the film was released in 2020.
'Manmarziyaan'
Anurag Kashyap's 2018 film Manmarziyaan became a box office hit. Released internationally as Husband Material, it starred Vicky Kaushal, Abhishek Bachchan, and Taapsee Pannu in the lead. The film was jointly prejudiced by Rai, Eros International, and Kashyap's production banner Phantom Films. Apart from its performances and storyline, it is also loved for its music and songs which were composed by Amit Trivedi.
'Haseen Dillruba'
The 2021 romantic thriller movie Haseen Dillruba was also a joint production venture between Rai, Bhushan Kumar's T-Series, and Eros International. Skipping a theatrical release, the film premiered directly on Netflix in July. It featured Pannu and Vikrant Massey in the lead roles. A sequel of the murder mystery is also in the works, confirmed Massey earlier this year.
