Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016)

Interesting facts

Happy Bhag Jayegi is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film, written and directed by Mudassar Aziz, and produced by Aanand L. Rai and Krishika Lulla. It stars Diana Penty as the eponymous character; a free-spirited bride-to-be from Amritsar who runs away from her wedding ceremony and inadvertently arrives in Lahore, Pakistan. The production features an ensemble cast consisting of Penty, Abhay Deol, Jimmy Sheirgill, Ali Fazal, and Momal Sheikh.

Production

Mudassar Aziz had been working on the script for Happy Bhag Jayegi since 2012; pre-production work for the project began when Aanand L. Rai agreed to produce it under the label Colour Yellow Productions with Aziz as the director. It was Rai's first venture as a producer and Aziz's first as a director in over four years.

Abhay Deol had previously collaborated with Rai for the 2013 romantic drama Raanjhanaa; the latter was impressed by Deol's performance in that film and expressed his interest in working with him again. Subsequently, Rai offered Deol the role of Bilal Ahmed. Diana Penty was cast as the central character; it was Penty's first project since her screen debut in the romantic comedy Cocktail (2012).

Happy Bhag Jayegi marks the Bollywood debut of Pakistani actor Momal Sheikh, who was cast as Deol's fiancée. The production team approached Sheikh's father Javed Sheikh for a part in the film and sought his help with casting the role of Zoya. After auditioning, the actors suggested by Javed were unsuitable; the team then contacted Momal, who read through the script multiple times before agreeing to work on the production.

Principal photography for Happy Bhag Jayegi began in September 2015; it took place in Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Mumbai in separate schedules. Saurabh Goswami worked as the director of photography and the production design was handled by Wasiq Khan. The costumes, which included traditional Indian clothing for Penty, and Pathani suits for Deol were designed by Ankita Jha and Nidhi Gambhir.

The filming process for Happy Bhag Jayegi was completed in March 2016. The production's rough cut was edited by the Mumbai-based editor and technician Ninad Khanolkar and the sound mixing was done by Arun Nambiar. Co-produced by Rai under his label Colour Yellow Productions and Krishika Lulla of Eros International, the film was made on an estimated budget of ₹200 million (US$2.1 million). Its final cut runs for 126 minutes.

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