Badhaai Ho 2 will be called Badhaai Do, goes on the floors in June

Following the unprecedented success of Badhaai Ho (2018), the makers have now confirmed that a sequel is on its way. The second film will be titled Badhaai Do and will feature Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar in the lead.

Produced by Junglee Pictures, the film will be directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni, who had directed Hunterrr (2015).

Whether the original cast of Ayushmann Khurrana, Gajraj Rao, Neena Gupta and Sanya Malhotra will make an appearance in the sequel is not known yet.

According to a report in the Mumbai Mirror newspaper, the sequel will move away from the first film to a different story written by Akshat Ghildial and Suman Adhikary.

Ghildial said in a statement, "Suman came up with this interesting idea and since I have a great relationship with Junglee, I shared it with them. They liked it immediately. Then Harsh came on board. We had fun developing it and hope the audience has an equally good time watching it."

In a press statement, Bhumi Pednekar said, "Badhaai Ho was one of my favourite films in recent times and it is really exciting to take this franchise forward. For me, the script is one of the best that I have come across and I immediately wanted to do the film."

The actress continued, "My character again is strong, independent and author-backed and it gives me a lot of scope to bring a very different and cool character to life. This time, too, the film will say something extremely relevant and relatable, but in the most hilarious manner. The film has its heart rooted in family values.

"With each character I have portrayed, I have tried to push the envelope and look forward to doing that with this role too. I am excited to share screen space with Raj for the first time. He is an artiste I have always wanted to creatively collaborate with.”

The film will see Rajkummar Rao play a cop, with Pednekar playing a physical education teacher. Rajkummar Rao said, "I have played a cop before, but never with this perspective. I look for layered characters, and this one is a perfect match. My character is surrounded by strong women at home and work and that adds immense depth to his personality.

"Harshavardhan and Bhumi are both dear friends of mine and extremely talented artistes. Junglee Pictures' Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) was a fabulous experience for me. Badhaai Do is a reunion in many ways.”

The film is expected to go on the floors in June. Badhaai Ho (2018) won four Filmfare awards for Best Supporting Actress (Surekha Sikri), Best Supporting Actor (Gajraj Rao), Best Actress Critics (Neena Gupta) and Best Dialogues (Akshat Ghildial). The film also won two National awards for Best Wholesome Entertainment and Best Supporting Actress for Surekha Sikri.