'Patiala House' premiere in Mumbai, London cancelled

The Mumbai and London premieres of Akshay Kumar-starrer Patiala House later this week have been called off in favour of a more modest venue, Patiala, thanks to the efforts of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Badal is said to have met Kumar last week at an awards ceremony for Punjab sportspersons in Mohali and the two ended up discussing the film.

"Parkash Singh Badal wondered why the premiere of Patiala House was not being held in Patiala. Isn't it the most logical thing to do?" said a source.

Kumar and the film's director Nikhil Advani were stumped at the question. Within minutes, the plan was changed.

Confirming the development, Tinku Singh, managing director of SRS cinema said that the producers has asked them to make arrangements for the premiere show of Patiala House on February 10.

"We are honoured to be holding the premiere of Patiala House in one of our cinemas," said Singh.

The film's cast Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Akshay Kumar, Anushka Sharma alongwith Nikhil Advani will be flying down to Patiala on Thursday, he said.

Releasing on February 11, the film is a family drama that revolves around a London-based second generation Sikh's dream to play cricket.