Kriti Sanon, Kartik Aaryan’s Luka Chuppi to clash with Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar

Maddock Films has enjoyed success with productions like Hindi Medium (2017) and Stree (2018) over the past couple of years. Producer Dinesh Vijan is now gearing up for his next Luka Chuppi. The film will be released on 1 March 2019, the makers have announced. Directed by Laxman Utekar, Luka Chuppi stars Kriti Sanon, Kartik Aaryan, Aparshakti Khurrana and Pankaj Tripathi. 

“At Maddock we’ve always tried to ensure we achieve a balance between content and commercial cinema. Stree has been a big boost and we can’t wait for Luka Chuppi now. Kartik and Kriti have done a phenomenal job and it’s exciting to bring it to the audiences," Vijan said in a statement. 

It must be recalled that Luka Chuppi was earlier slated to be released on 29 March, where it would have competed with Rajkummar Rao, Kangana Ranaut-starrer Mental Hai Kya. While it averts that clash, the film will now lock horns with Yash Raj Films’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, that has Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra in the lead. Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is directed by Dibakar Banerjee. 

What prompted the makers to move from 29 March?

The answer, perhaps, lies in the preceding week’s release. On 22 March, Dharma Productions's period-drama Kesari, starring Akshay Kumar, will hit the screens. After the average performances of Pad Man (2018) and Gold (2018), Akshay roared back to form with S Shankar's Tamil film 2.0, that has grossed Rs550 crore worldwide so far. 

Utekar, who started out as a cinematographer, has shot films like English Vinglish (2012) and Dear Zindagi (2016). He turned director with the Marathi film Tapaal (2014) that was screened at the Busan International Film Festvial and International Film Festival of India. Luka Chuppi is Utekar’s first Hindi feature film as a director. The film also marks the first collaboration between Sanon and Aaryan.  

The story of Luka Chuppi revolves around a TV reporter (Aaryan), who falls in love with a head-strong woman (Sanon).