Band Baaja Baaraat

Band Baaja Baaraat
Theatrical release poster
Directed byManeesh Sharma
Written byHabib Faisal
Story byManeesh Sharma
Produced byAditya Chopra
Starring
CinematographyAseem Mishra
Edited byNamrata Rao
Music bySalim–Sulaiman
Production
company
Distributed byYash Raj Films
Release date
  • 10 December 2010 (2010-12-10)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Box office₹96 crore[1]

Band Baaja Baaraat (transl. Wedding Party Band) is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Maneesh Sharma in his directorial debut, written by Habib Faisal, and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film stars Ranveer Singh in his debut lead acting role and Anushka Sharma. In the film, Shruti Kakkar (Sharma) and Bittoo Sharma (Singh) team up to create a wedding planning enterprise.

Band Baaja Baaraat was released worldwide on 10 December 2010, and was a commercial success. Upon release, it received widespread critical acclaim, with praise for its novel setting, screenplay, soundtrack and the leads' performances.

At the 56th Filmfare Awards, Band Baaja Baaraat received 6 nominations including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress, and won two awards—Best Male Debut (Singh) and Best Debut Director (Maneesh Sharma). A Tamil remake titled Aaha Kalyanam was also produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films, starring Nani and Vaani Kapoor in the lead roles and was released on 21 February 2014.[2]

Plot

Bittoo and Shruti are small-time wedding planners, who start their new business straight out of college. They manage weddings for lower middle-class families, usually held in the Chandni Chowk neighbourhood of Old Delhi. Sainik Farm is the prime wedding location in Delhi where the rich and famous hold their weddings. Bittoo and Shruti convince a wealthy couple to give them their first big Sainik Farm wedding contract. The event becomes a resounding success, and the Shaadi Mubarak team celebrates late into the night. After guests have left, Bittoo and Shruti end up having a one-night stand in his bedroom.

Bittoo labels the affair a kaand (lit. "blunder"), knowing that Shruti has strict rules against workplace romance. He soon realises that Shruti does not see their affair as a strictly one-time encounter, and has started developing feelings for him instead. Bittoo starts distancing himself from her, hurting Shruti's feelings by his sudden change of demeanour. She pushes him out of Shaadi Mubarak, and Bittoo launches a rival venture called "Happy Wedding" - a literal translation of the name "Shaadi Mubarak". Without Shruti's involvement, his venture does not take off. Meanwhile, Shuti begins losing clients and vendors after multiple complaints about the quality of her latest work.

To save their respective ventures from becoming bankrupt, Bittoo and Shruti accept a joint contract for a wealthy industrialist's daughter's wedding. Expected to be a lavish, week-long affair, it will be held at an historic palace in the state of Rajasthan. Working together again, Bittoo and Shruti bring their characteristic flair to the preparations but Shruti seems distracted. Bittoo learns that she is engaged to marry a wealthy NRI, and will move soon to Dubai where she will restart Shaadi Mubarak. Seeing her slipping away from him, Bittoo confesses his feelings for her as well, claiming he was merely pushing her away since he didn't know how to react after they spent the night together. They share a kiss together and Shruti calls off her engagement.

After the Rajasthan wedding contract, Bittoo rejoins Shaadi Mubarak. As credits roll, he and Shruti are busy enjoying their own wedding, planned in typical Shaadi Mubarak-fashion.

Cast

  • Ranveer Singh as Bittoo Sharma
  • Anushka Sharma as Shruti Kakkar
  • Neeraj Sood as Maqsood, florist
  • Puru Chibber as Mika, Bittoo's best friend
  • Manish Choudhary as Sidhwani
  • Manit Joura as Sunny, cameraman
  • Sushil Dahiya as Brigadier Brar
  • Manu Rishi as Inspector
  • Govind Pandey as Bittoo's father
  • Vinod Verma as Shruti's father
  • Nirupama Chopra as Shruti's mother
  • Pushvinder Rathore as Shruti's sister
  • Shena Gamat as Chanda Narang, a famous wedding planner
  • Manmeet Singh as Rajinder Singh, caterer
  • Shireena Sambyal as Sonia

Production

"Anushka Sharma and I have been friends for a long time, and we have a very comfortable love-hate relationship – more hate and less love from her side!"

— Maneesh Sharma[3]

Development

Band Baaja Baaraat marked the directorial debut of Maneesh Sharma, who had previously assisted on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008).[4] Early media reports speculated titles like Shaadi Mubarak but Yash Raj Films clarified in that the film was still untitled.[5] The official title, Band Baaja Baaraat, was announced in late 2010.[6]

Casting

Anushka Sharma was given the female lead in the film, completing the three-film contract she signed to do Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), her first film. Her role was described as "challenging" by media publications prior to the film's release.[7] Describing the way the lead characters in the film talk as "crude but cute", the actress declared that the hardest part of her job was speaking like a typical Delhi wali girl, which called for her to "talk fast, sometimes mix words and even omit words completely".[8] Director Maneesh Sharma, with whom she's been great friends since her first film, said that the model-turned-actress was a very feisty person, and a natural actress who didn't like doing multiple takes.[3] She described the film as "very much, a young love story set in Delhi".[9]

The male lead was given to Mumbai-native Ranveer Singh, a complete newcomer with no prior acting or modelling experience whatsoever, who impressed producer Aditya Chopra so much that he cast him after his first audition,[10] signing a three-film contract with the actor.[11] Singh, who took acting classes,[12] and hung out at Delhi University prior to shooting said about his casting "I’m the first solo hero Yash Raj is launching. It’s a huge deal for me. I don’t know how I got here. I guess I happened to be in the right place at the right time".[11] As such, this marks the first time a film rests mainly on Sharma's shoulders, as opposed to her prior films Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Badmaash Company (2010) where she shared the screen with more experienced co-stars, Shah Rukh Khan and Shahid Kapoor respectively, a fact the actress remarked upon, stating "some people will refer to Band Baaja Baaraat as Anushka Sharma’s film because they have seen me in another film before".[8]

Filming

Filming started in Delhi on 4 February 2010, the same day the production company announcement was made.[10] Singh was very nervous about his first day but was eventually proud that his first scene only took three takes to shoot.[11] An 18 February article by Minakshi Saini for the Hindustan Times' entertainment supplement HT City reported that during the previous day's early morning shoot in West Delhi's Subhash Nagar, Singh's newcomer status led many to speculate on whether he was Ranbir Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey or even Riteish Deshmukh. Police officers were eventually called in to secure the set from curious onlookers, however some expressed discontentment at having to be out in the cold despite both lead actors being virtual unknowns. The film features a kiss between the lead actors, which only necessitated a single take.[11] Other than Subhash Nagar DDA Market, locations in Delhi include Janakpuri, Delhi University, North and West Delhi, Ring Road, Mehrauli Farms and Akbar Road.[3][13] Some scenes were also shot in director Maneesh Sharma's almamater, Hans Raj College in University campus.[14] The film was additionally shot in Mumbai in March and Rajasthan in April.[15]

The assistant directors for the film were Akshat Kapil and Rohit Philip who'd previously held the job on Aaja Nachle (2007) and Do Dooni Chaar (2010) respectively. Aseem Mishra handled the cinematography after working on such films as Contract (2008), New York (2009) and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010). The various dance sequences were choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant, who has previously worked on countless films including such hits as Lagaan (2001), Devdas (2002), Veer-Zaara and Swades (both 2004). Sonal Choudhry and T. P. Abid were the film's production designers while Niharika Khan was the costume designer.

Several rumours surrounded the film's shoot, such as speculation that the lead pair were more than just friends.[16][17][18] Early media reports alternatively titled the film Shaadi Mubarak or Shaadi Mubarak Ho, however Yash Raj Films eventually issued a press release in late April claiming that this was not the film's title, and that film was actually still untitled.[19] The title was eventually revealed to be Band Baaja Baaraat in late July.[20]

Lead actors Sharma and Singh got along well during the shoot, and are strongly believed to have dated and broken up before the film's release. Speaking about his co-star, Singh declared "She’s intelligent, well-read and great to hang out with. Actually, she’s pretty close to my dream girl".[11]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack and background score for Band Baaja Baaraat were composed by the duo Salim–Sulaiman, marking another collaboration with Yash Raj Films following their work on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), with lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya in his first mainstream endeavour. The album features vocals by Sunidhi Chauhan, Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal, Natalie Di Luccio, Himani Kapoor, Harshdeep Kaur, Labh Janjua, Shraddha Pandit, Master Saleem, Sukhwinder Singh, Bhattacharya, and Salim Merchant.

The soundtrack consists of nine tracks, including two remix versions.[21] It was first unveiled on 3 November 2010 at Yash Raj Studios in Andheri, Mumbai, and was officially launched on 10 November 2010 at a promotional event held at the Reliance TimeOut store in Bandra.[22][23]

Marketing and release

Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh holding up DVDs. While Sharma, wearing a pale yellow top is smiling directly at the camera, Singh, dressed in a white shirt, is looking away.
Ranveer Singh (left) with co-star Anushka Sharma at the DVD launch of Band Baaja Baaraat in 2010.

"We’re like a tiny paan shop if you compare us with the other releases in the same week or month, but this paan shop is the best of the lot"

— Anushka Sharma[8]

As with previous Yash Raj Films productions since Mohabbatein (2000), publicity design for Band Baaja Baaraat was overseen by Fayyaz Badruddin, with stills photographed by Abhay Singh and Zahir Abbas Khan. The film's official trailer and website launched on 19 October 2010, featuring the synopsis, promotional images, downloadable wallpapers, a press kit, and e-cards branded as “Band Baaj-O-Grams.”[24] The studio expanded its digital outreach through dedicated Facebook, Twitter, and Blogspot channels, as well as exclusive video content on YouTube, including music videos for "Tarkeebein" and "Ainvayi Ainvayi".

To promote the film, lead actors Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma, along with director Maneesh Sharma, made appearances at IIT Delhi's annual festival and at the GIP Mall in Noida.[25][26] However, promotions briefly drew media attention following an incident aboard Kingfisher Airlines flight IT 331 on 26 October 2010, when the actors confronted a passenger who allegedly took unsolicited photographs.[27][28] The altercation was resolved without formal complaints after police intervention upon landing in Delhi.[29][30][31]

Despite skepticism regarding its commercial prospects due to the absence of a male star and Sharma's perceived lull in popularity post her debut contract with the studio, Band Baaja Baaraat gradually built momentum through word-of-mouth and targeted promotions.[32][33] The film was theatrically released worldwide on 10 December 2010, coinciding nearly two years to the day with Sharma's debut Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)—a strategic choice by the studio aiming to replicate that film's success trajectory.[34][35]

Reception

Box office

Internationally, Band Baaja Baaraat had a limited release. In the United States and Canada, it grossed $43,820, while in the United Kingdom, it earned £63,200. The film's worldwide gross was approximately ₹300 million.[36]

With a production budget of ₹130 million, the film was declared a "Hit" by Box Office India.[37]

Critical reception

Upon release, Band Baaja Baaraat received positive reviews from critics. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 4/5 stars, commenting, "Thankfully, Band Baaja Baaraat works on every level. The writing is crisp, the execution of the material [director: Maneesh Sharma] is worthy, and the lead actors [Anushka, Ranveer] steer the film to the destination smoothly... Band Baaja Baaraat is honest, fresh, youthful, and extremely entertaining. Recommended!"

Anupama Chopra of NDTV awarded it 4/5 stars and commented, "Band Baaja Baaraat is reasonably entertaining. It's definitely the most fun you'll have in a theater this weekend." Rajeev Masand gave it 3/5 stars, writing, "Band Baaja Baaraat works because it’s invested with an earnestness that’s become increasingly rare to find at the movies... It’s a romantic comedy done correctly. Fun, but with warmth at its heart. Don’t miss it!"

Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India gave the film 3/5 stars and opined, "As long as you view Band Baaja Baaraat as a loving, heartfelt take on what makes Delhi go dhak-dhak, the film holds your attention. Band Baaja Baaraat engages you with its fond look at fun-loving Dilliwalas." Sonal Dedhia of Rediff.com gave it 3/5, commenting, "On the whole, Band Baaja Baaraat is a refreshing film—very different from the usual romantic comedy movies we're so used to. It is a well-made film that should connect with the audience. Give this one a chance, you won't regret it."

Accolades

Award Date of the ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
Producers Guild Film Awards 11 January 2011 Best Actress in a Leading Role Anushka Sharma (tied with Vidya Balan for Ishqiya) Won [38]
Best Male Debut Ranveer Singh Won
Zee Cine Awards 14 January 2011 Best Actor – Female Anushka Sharma Nominated [39]
Best Male Debut Ranveer Singh Won
Screen Awards 22 January 2011 Best Actress Anushka Sharma Nominated [40]
Best Male Debut Ranveer Singh Won
Filmfare Awards 29 January 2011 Best Film Band Baaja Baaraat Nominated [41]
Best Director Maneesh Sharma Nominated
Best Actress Anushka Sharma Nominated
Best Male Debut Ranveer Singh Won
Best Debut Director Maneesh Sharma Won
Best Scene of the Year The bread pakora scene Nominated
Stardust Awards 6 February 2011 Best Actor in a Comedy or Romance Ranveer Singh Nominated [42]
Superstar of Tomorrow – Male Won
Best Actress in a Comedy or Romance Anushka Sharma Nominated
IIFA Awards 23–25 June 2011 Best Film Band Baaja Baaraat Nominated [43]
Best Director Maneesh Sharma Nominated
Best Actress Anushka Sharma Won
Star Debut of the Year – Male Ranveer Singh Won
Hottest Pair Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh Won
Best Music Director Salim–Sulaiman Nominated
Best Lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya (for "Ainvayi Ainvayi") Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer Sunidhi Chauhan (for "Ainvayi Ainvayi") Nominated
Best Story Maneesh Sharma Nominated
Best Dialogue Habib Faisal Nominated
Best Costume Design Niharika Khan Won
Best Editing Namrata Rao Won
Best Song Recording Vijay Dayal (for "Ainvayi Ainvayi") Won

See also

References

  1. ↑ BOI Trade Network. "Box Office 2010". Box office India. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "YRF Movies - Latest and Upcoming Hindi Movies Yash Raj Films".
  3. 1 2 3 Chandna Arora "Anushka’s a Ramjas girl?", The Times of India, 27 October 2010.
  4. ↑ Khilnani, Rohit. "The Story of How FAN Director Maneesh Sharma's Dream Came True". www.thequint.com. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "YRF's next not Shaadi Mubarak". 23 April 2010. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "All you wanted to know about 'Band Baaja Baaraat'". 7 December 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  7. ↑ "Anushka-Ranveer to come with ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’", IndiaGlitz, 24 September 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 Shweta Mehta "‘I am not Rajnikanth’", Hindustan Times, 26 October 2010.
  9. ↑ Soumyadipta Banerjee "Bengaluru girl Anushka Sharma says I look Punjabi, but I am not", Daily News & Analysis, 26 October 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Yash Raj Films launches debutant actor Ranveer Singh in its next project", Yash Raj Films.com, 4 February 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Shweta Mehta "‘I felt something for Anushka’", Hindustan Times, 23 October 2010.
  12. ↑ Hill Road Media "New kid on the block: Ranveer Singh" Archived 30 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine, StarBoxOffice, 25 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "I can make 15 films on Delhi: Maneesh". The Times of India. 19 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
  14. ↑ The campus crew in Bollywood The Times of India, 10 December 2010.
  15. ↑ "Anushka Sharma", SawfNews.com.
  16. ↑ "It’s Ranveer Singh and not Shahid for Anushka" Deprecated link archived 10 July 2012 at archive.today, IndiaInfo.com, 12 April 2010.
  17. ↑ Vickey Lalwani "Anushka, beau part ways", The Times of India, 13 October 2010.
  18. ↑ TNN "Anushka, Ranveer no more a jodi!", The Times of India, 21 October 2010.
  19. ↑ Indo-Asian News Service "YRF's next not Shaadi Mubarak", Hindustan Times, 23 April 2010.
  20. ↑ Bollywood Hungama News Network "YRF's next not Shaadi Mubarak", Bollywood Hungama, 26 July 2010.
  21. ↑ "Band Baaja Baaraat Music Released", Yash Raj Films, 3 November 2010.
  22. ↑ "Anushka Sharma: Adorable at Band Baaja Baaraat Music Launch", SawfNews.com, 20 October 2010.
  23. ↑ TNN "Salman thanks Akshay, SRK enjoys alone time", The Times of India, 28 October 2010.
  24. ↑ yrfmovies "Hey guys, Do check out the Official Website of Band Baaja Baaraat... www.bandbaajabaaraat.com :-)”", Twitter, 19 October 2010.
  25. ↑ Band Baaja Baaraat "Who wants to shake a leg with Shruti & Bittoo?", BlogSpot, 20 October 2010.
  26. ↑ "Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh Plug Band Baaja Baaraat at GIP Mall Noida", SawfNews.com, 22 October 2010.
  27. ↑ Express News Service "Actors Anushka Sharma, Ranvir in airport row", Indian Express, 27 October 2010.
  28. ↑ Sonal Chawla & Lakshmi Iyer "Anushka has a possessive ex!", The Times of India, 28 October 2010.
  29. ↑ TNN "Actors fly into rage as co-flyer clicks them", The Times of India, 27 October 2010.
  30. ↑ HT Correspondent "Anushka, co-star pick fight with co-passengers on Kingfisher flight", Hindustan Times, 26 October 2010.
  31. ↑ PTI "'Band Baaja Baaraat' stars in 'scuffle'", The Times of India, 27 October 2010.
  32. ↑ Dipti Nagpaul D'souza "Missing the mark", Indian Express, 5 November 2010.
  33. ↑ Kaustubh Shetye "Ranveer Was Perfect For 'BAND BAJAA BAARAAT'- Anushka" Archived 11 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Bollywood Chaska, 8 November 2010.
  34. ↑ "10 December ko bajega “BAND BAAJA BAARAAT”", Yash Raj Films.com, 24 September 2010.
  35. ↑ Joginder Tuteja "Anushka Sharma set to repeat history", OneIndia, 27 September 2010.
  36. ↑ "Band Baaja Baaraat". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  37. ↑ "Band Baaja Baaraat - Movie - Box Office India". boxofficeindia.com. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  38. ↑ "Winners of 5th Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  39. ↑ bollywoodproduct (13 April 2022). "12th Zee Cine Awards (2011)". Bollywood Product. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  40. ↑ Yount, Stacey (6 January 2011). "17th Star Screen Awards 2011 Winners". BollySpice.com - The latest movies, interviews in Bollywood. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  41. ↑ 56th Idea Filmfare Awards (Reality-TV), Imran Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, 6 February 2011, retrieved 29 May 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  42. ↑ "Stardust Awards, India (2011)". IMDb. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  43. ↑ 12th International Indian Film Academy Awards, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Shah Rukh Khan, 25 June 2011, retrieved 29 May 2025{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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