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Anurag Basu’s Barfi! starring Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra is expecting a commercial release in Turkey. Becoming the first Indian film to see a commercial release in the country Barfi! is expected to acquire 40 screens across the country and will be released tomorrow. The film which became India’s official entry to the Academy Awards this year was masterpiece in terms of direction, acting and cinematography.
Traveling the heart warming love story of an autistic girl and dumb-mute boy, the film will run the Turkish subtitles.
Ranbir Kapoor was most excited when he heard this news. Celebrated and lauded with awards and good reviews, the actor thinks this as a personal victory as his grandfather Raj Kapoor was excessively famous there. He said, “Turkey is a place where my grandfather (Raj Kapoor) has a great fan following even today. To see my film getting a wide theatrical release in the same country is a huge compliment. I am very excited about this.”
UTV saw this as an accomplishmnet of reaching Bollywood cinema to international markets by getting viewership of global audiences. This is the first film and UTV the first company to venture into Turkey market.
Director Anurag Basu was extremely happy as well. He said, “I am extremely happy that a story I have lived with over so many years has in the last few months received global recognition and now is geared towards greater opportunities, including mainstream releases in non-traditional markets.”
Amrita Pandey, executive director, international distribution, syndication and Disney Media Distribution, Studios, Disney UTV, said that Barfi! has the flavor to appeal to global audiences. She added, “After its screening at the prestigious Busan and Marrakech film festivals last year, the film continues to receive accolades from all quarters including the Grand Jury Award at the prestigious Okinawa Film Festival in Japan. Barfi! is the widest release for any Hindi film in Turkey.”
Firat Dilbaz of Cinemajestic, film exhibitors in Turkey, said that Indian cinema had disappeared from the Turkey scenario and Barfi! is a welcome respite after a gap of many years. He said, “We are currently showing trailers of the film on over 200 screens and the response from the audiences has been extremely encouraging. we are excited to have a critical and commercial success such as Barfi! as the first on this scale.”
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