Made for each other: Jeet and Koel in Shubhodrishti

A red card unfolds, inviting us to the theatres on November 4. The occasion is a wedding, says the TV trailer, which also gives a sneak peek of the nuptials ? the glowing faces of the bride and the groom dressed in their best (courtesy Anjali Jewellers, Sarbari Dutta and Sudeshna Roy).

Smart promos cashing in on a home truth ? that nothing excites Indians, or better still Bengalis, more than weddings.

?The unique selling point of Shubhodrishti is its Bengali feel. It?s a love story happening against the backdrop of a marriage. We had to think of how best we could market it and we came up with the idea of a wedding card introducing the players,? says Srikant Mohta of Shree Venkatesh, which has co-produced Shubhodrishti with Rajshri Films. Shubhodrishti is the first Bengali film to be backed by the banner behind blockbusters like Maine Pyar Kiya and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...!

Directed by Probhat Roy, the film starring Jeet, Koel Mullick and Parambrata Chatterjee is a story of two families bonding together during a wedding. It?s also about a couple (Jeet and Koel) that falls in love amidst the fun and laughter and makes it to the altar, but a twist of fate introduces the tension and the trauma.

?You can say Shubhodrishti is the first Bengali film in the feel-good category that you have in Bollywood, like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge? There are lots of characters, something we didn?t have in our earlier films. There are sisters, mothers, grandmother, and all of them are fully fleshed out. And they are all positive characters. There are no villains in this film,? adds Mohta, having spent Rs 20 lakh on the sets alone.

Designed by Indranil Ghosh, who had won a national award for his work in Chokher Bali, the lavish set is made to reflect the opulence of a zamindari household bustling with relatives on the eve of a wedding. The nuptials, the rituals and all that jazz keep in mind the film?s primary audience ? ?women between 10 and 70 years?.

Shubhodrishti releases at Mitra, Prachi and Bharati this Friday, and if it clicks with the urban audience, the producers are willing to try and target the multiplex crowd as well.