Happy New Year set to record the widest release for a Bollywood film

Happy New Year marks the coming together of director Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, after the success of the pair in films such as Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om

This Diwali, the Red Chillies Entertainment and Yash Raj Films teams will be gearing up for the widest Bollywood release so far. Next week, Happy New Year, starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Boman Irani, will hit as many as 6,000 screens worldwide, the most ever. This will surpass releases of films such as Dhoom 3 (2013), Kick (2014) and Bang Bang (2014).

Sources say the makers of Happy New Year are targeting release in 5,000 screens in India and 1,000 abroad. The film is produced by Red Chillies Entertainment; it will be distributed worldwide by Yash Raj Films, also the force behind the widespread distribution of Dhoom 3 in December 2013, the biggest film of that year. The thriller was released in about 4,500 screens in India and 800 abroad.

Happy New Year marks the coming together of director Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, after the success of the pair in films such as Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, while Khan and Padukone have delivered hits such as Om Shanti Om and Chennai Express.

Last year, Chennai Express was released across 750 screens abroad, a record in terms of foreign release on the day on the film being released in India. Movies such as Krrish 3 and Dhoom 3 also saw similar exposure last year. This year, Kick and Bang Bang stepped up the game, with release across up to 850 screens in foreign markets.

Kamal Gianchandani, chief operating officer, PVR Ltd, says, "You cannot get a better combination in Bollywood. Happy New Year marks the return of SRK and Deepika after Chennai Express and SRK and Farah (Khan) after hits such as Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om; and, it's the occasion of Diwali. The film is set for a wide release and, at least at PVR, 80 per cent of our screens will be running the movies 



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