Bollywood
star
Rishi
Kapoor's
swansong
Sharmaji
Namkeen
is
heading
to
streaming
service
Prime
Video
and
will
premiere
on
March
31.
Directed
by
Hitesh
Bhatia,
the
movie
will
release
on
the
streaming
service
as
an
Amazon
original
movie,
Prime
Video
and
Excel
Entertainment
announced
in
a
statement
on
Wednesday.
Sharmaji
Namkeen
marks
the
final
screen
appearance
of
Kapoor,
who
died
at
the
age
of
67
in
April
2020
after
a
two-year
long
battle
with
leukaemia.
The
movie
is
produced
by
Farhan
Akhtar
and
Ritesh
Sidhwani's
Excel
Entertainment
in
association
with
filmmaker
Honey
Trehan
and
Abhishek
Choubey
under
their
banner
MacGuffin
Pictures.
Described
as
a
"relatable
and
heartwarming
story
of
self-realization
and
discovery",
the
film
follows
the
life
of
a
recently
retired
man
who
discovers
his
passion
for
cooking
after
joining
a
riotous
women’s
kitty
circle.
After
Kapoor's
death,
the
makers
had
roped
in
actor
Paresh
Rawal
to
complete
the
remaining
portions
of
the
film,
making
it
a
first
instance
where
two
actors
played
the
same
character
in
one
movie.
Sharmaji
Namkeen
also
features
Juhi
Chawla,
who
extensively
worked
with
Kapoor
in
the
1990s
on
films
such
as
Bol
Radha
Bol,
Eena
Meena
Deeka
and
Daraar,
as
well
as
actors
Suhail
Nayyar,
Taaruk
Raina,
Satish
Kaushik,
Sheeba
Chaddha
and
Isha
Talwar.
Manish
Menghani,
head,
content
licensing,
Prime
Video,
said
with
Sharmaji
Namkeen,
the
company
continues
its
endeavour
of
delivering
content
that
"keeps
our
customers
engaged
and
entertained".
"It
is
a
truly
special
film
and
humble
tribute
to
the
acting
prowess
and
cinematic
brilliance
of
the
late
Rishi
Kapoor
and
a
testament
to
the
immeasurable
talent
of
Paresh
Rawal.
Both
actors
have
entertained
generations
of
audiences
through
their
legendary
performances.
"The
film
is
yet
another
exciting
chapter
in
our
long-standing
association
with
Excel
Entertainment
and
we
are
certain
this
heartwarming
tale
will
find
its
special
place
with
customers
in
India
and
beyond," he
added.
Sidhwani
of
Excel
Entertainment
said
the
banner
is
focused
on
offering
the
most
clutter-breaking
narratives
and
bring
to
life
characters
that
are
memorable
and
heartwarming.
"Sharmaji
Namkeen
is
a
slice-of-life
story
of
an
ordinary
man
and
his
extraordinary
pursuit
to
find
a
new
meaning
in
life.
We
are
humbled
and
thankful
to
work
with
the
legendary
actor,
the
late
Rishi
Kapoor,
for
this
epic
family
entertainer,
which
remains
his
last
onscreen
portrayal.
The
movie
is
our
tribute
to
his
commanding
stardom
and
charm
and
we
are
happy
to
add
another
milestone
to
our
robust
collaboration
with
Prime
Video," he
said.