Director Vishal Mishra’s third film, after Coffee With D (2017) and Hum Dono Honge Kaamyab (2018), is Hotel Milan which takes on the issue of anti-Romeo squad in Uttar Pradesh. The rise of hooliganism in recent years is also tackled in the film’s story.
The posters of the film, released today (13 July), feature actors Kunaal Roy Kapur and Jaideep Ahlawat on opposite ends of the conflict. In the first poster Roy Kapur is posing with a rose in his mouth, an assortment of protest boards with the slogan ‘Anti-Romeo Squad’ and an image of the heart crossed out can be seen in the background.
Interestingly, an old but familiar lyric from Sharmeelee (1971), ‘Khilte Hain Gul Yahan, Khil Ke Bhikarne Ko [Flowers bloom here only to whither away]’ is written on top of the poster. The song, composed by SD Burman, was sung by both Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar in the film, but we wonder what it refers to here, given that Roy Kapur has a rose with him.
Unfortunately, both posters are heavily photoshopped and seem disjointed. Both posters have a lot of elements going on, with the cast and theme of the film to be introduced. It feels too busy to have a real connect with the film.
Produced by Haresh Patel, Hotel Milan will be seen opposite Pradeep Sarkar’s Helicopter Eela, starring Kajol and Riddhi Sen, on 14 September 2018.