Namaste England

About the film

Namaste England (transl. Greetings, England!) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. The film is the sequel to 2007 film Namastey London. The film stars Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra in lead roles alongside Aditya Seal, Shreya Mehta and Alankrita Sahai in supporting roles. Principal photography began on 23 February 2018 in Amritsar, Punjab. It was released worldwide on 18 October 2018 to overwhelmingly negative reviews and emerged as a box office disaster.

Plot

Param is a man residing in a small village within Punjab. During Dusshera, he goes to see Ravan Dahan with his friends where he meets Jasmeet and subsequently falls for her. Jasmeet is a young, ambitious and educated girl, whose grandfather and older brother are opposed to her seeking employment due to their conservative background. Jasmeet can't go against their decision but still dreams of independence from them. After their first meeting, Param and Jasmeet meet several more times, where she grows closer to Param. To get close to her, Param conceives a plan and asks a friend of his to marry one of Jasmeet's friends. At the time of the wedding, Param and Jasmeet spend time together, subsequently expressing their love for one another. Param eventually finds Jasmeet a part-time position at a jewellery store; however, her grandfather finds out about this and begins to search for another groom.

Param convinces his father to send a marriage proposal to Jasmeet's family. Jasmeet's grandpa happily agrees but on the condition that Jasmeet should not work after marriage. During the wedding ceremony, Gurpreet disrespects Param's father. Gurpreet is humiliated and vows to make sure that Param never gets a visa. One year later, they're still trying to get a visa but fail. Jasmeet expresses her desire to settle down in London, England. She meets her school friend Harpreet who lives in London and gives the address of an illegal immigrant officer who can help them live in London. Param reveals to Jasmeet the officer suggested him to marry a British citizen for a visa and later on marry Jasmeet and live in London. Hearing this, Jasmeet immediately visits the lawyer and agrees for Param to get married but Param refuses. Jasmeeet tries to make him understand but in vain. Param's next option is to convince Gurpreet.

Param then goes to Gurpreet and tells him he is ready to apologise in front of everyone. Gurpreet says he forgave Param but Param's father has to apologise to him but Param doesn't agree. Soon the officer informs Jasmeet that he has secured her a job in the UK. Jasmeet is delighted and informs Param. While saying their goodbyes at the airport, Jasmeet blindsides Param by telling him that she's going on a marriage visa. The officer had arranged a man named Samar Singh Sandhu aka Sam who would pose as her husband. Sam has British citizenship and requires a girl to pose as his wife to please his elderly grandfather on his deathbed. Jasmeet and Sam meet and discuss their reasons for this marriage and assure each other that they are doing this for their own interests. Jasmeet travels to London. Param's love encourages him to seek help from the officer to reach London by any means. Upon arriving in London, Param follows Jasmeet and introduces himself to her neighbour Alisha who falls for him and supports Param in winning back Jasmeet. On the other hand, Sam's grandpa passes away and he is consoled by Jasmeet.

Production

Principal photography began in February 2018. The film was shot in 75 locations including Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Paris, Brussels, London and Southampton. This is the second collaboration between Kapoor and Chopra after Ishaqzaade (2012) and followed by Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (2021).

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album is composed by Mannan Shaah, Badshah and Rishi Rich the lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar, Master Rakesh and Badshah. The soundtrack rights were acquired by Sony Music India.

Marketing and promotions

The first look of the movie was released on 14 August 2018, by Parineeti and Arjun on their Twitter handle.

During the promotional campaigns, the movie landed into controversy when one of the movie posters released had Indian map in the background from which, Aksai Chin region of Ladakh in Indian-administered Kashmir was missing.

The official trailer for the film was released on 6 September 2018.

Release

The film was released on 18 October 2018, clashing with the release of Ayushmann Khurrana's Badhaai Ho.

The satellite rights of the film were bagged by Zee Network.

Reception

The film received generally negative reviews from critics; out of 16 reviews, only 4 received equal to or more than a 2-star rating.

Zee News and The Statesman, both posting the same IANS review, gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the film "has a pure heart," and that "the cast performs with sincerity that sometimes gets stagey. While Arjun and Parineeti look comfortable in each other`s company, some of their romantic moments together are done with the over-cute impishness that seems way out of line." The reviewer also noted that most of the secondary characters seem more entertaining than the leads: "Aditya Seal as Parineeti`s trophy-husband succeeds in making his character of a spoilt NRI brat anything but a jerk...Seal does well for himself." The film is beautifully shot by Yiannis Manolopoulos, and that "While the narrative serenades the effervescent mood, a serious tone is allowed to creep in with a statement on the issue of illegal migrants in Europe."

Key details