The trailer of Shahid Kapoor’s next film Batti Gul Meter Chalu is out and, as the title suggests, it seems a satire on the frequent power cuts in India, inflated bills and corruption in electricity boards.
The film joins the recent bandwagon of Bollywood films carrying social messages. Following Akshay Kumar’s Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and PadMan, the trailer of Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan-starrer Sui Dhaaga was released on National Handloom Day (August 7). The film is inspired from the Centre’s Make In India campaign.
Batti Gul Meter Chalu also stars Shraddha Kapoor and Yami Gautam. Directed by Narayan Singh of Toilet: Ek Prem Katha fame, the film narrates the tale of a common man and his struggle to pay the exorbitant electricity bills slapped by a private power distribution company. The film is set in a small town in Uttarakhand where people are so used to frequent power cuts they joke about them. Living in the dark has almost become a part of their everyday routine.
Shahid’s character is that of a carefree young man who happens to be an advocate. But, all he does on a daily basis is chit-chat with his best friend, played by Divyendu Sharma. His character appears to be a cross between that of Arshad Warsi’s in Jolly LLB and Shahid’s in R… Rajkumar. All is well until the friend is slapped with a hefty electricity bill. After a fruitless fight against officials of the electricity board, he takes his life.
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His untimely death prompts Shahid’s character to give life to his lawyer avatar and revolt against corruption in the electricity company. He takes to the streets, and encourages the public to join him.
Shahid’s last film was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat; he teams up with Shraddha after Vishal Bhardwaj’s critically acclaimed Haider. Yami plays the lawyer who takes on Shahid.
Produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series, Batti Gul Meter Chalu will release on September 21.
Watch the trailer here: