Irrfan Khan's Hindi Medium to release in China on April 4.

Irrfan Khan-starrer "Hindi Medium" will hit
the big screens in China on April 4, following
the success of movies by Bollywood stars
Aamir Khan and Salman Khan in the country.
China has a quota on the number of
overseas movies that can be screened in the
country each year. But Indian films are
finding increased presence there.
For the release of "Hindi Medium", which
takes a comical look at the underbelly of
India's education system, the Chinese
authorities opted for the film's teaser poster
instead of the main poster.
Producer Bhushan Kumar of T-Series said in
a statement: "There's a unique twist in this
tale. 'Hindi Medium' is content-driven and
even though Irrfan is an internationally
recognised talent, the Chinese distribution
body opted for our teaser concept which
shows the feet of a man, one representing
poverty and the other representing material
wealth."
The poster reflects the disparities in society
and as the film "Hindi Medium" does, the
image holds a mirror up to our society
where the ability to speak fluent English is
ignorantly considered a yardstick to
measure sophistication and elitism.
Producer Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films
said: "This is exactly what made 'Hindi
Medium' so significant. The idea that we
give importance to material wealth and our
social image over the value of humanness
and love baffles me, but sadly it's what
drives most of society and portraying this in
a light yet meaningful form is what
resonates with audiences universally."
"Hindi Medium", directed by Saket
Chaudhary, also features Pakistani actress
Saba Qamar.
Of late, Aamir's "Secret Superstar" and
Salman's "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" -- the actor's
first movie to release in China -- have done
well in the country.
According to film producers and distributor,
the Chinese audience is receptive to Indian
stories irrespective of whether a movie
features a 'star'.
At the recently concluded Ficci Frames 2018,
there was a discussion on the appeal of
Indian films in China.
On whether Aamir's popularity is working in
favour of his films, Prasad Shetty, Director,
China Peacock Mountain Group, said: "I
know people are talking about his
popularity in China, but the fact is that he
really worked hard to connect with people
of China. He went there, interacted with
people and that makes a difference to earn
popularity.
"However, I believe that the audience in
China always connects with our stories. I
have been living in China for eight years and
most of the cab drivers can sing Raj
Kapoor's 'Awaara hoon'. So, the Bollywood
fans in China have existed for a long time.
We are only exploring the market now."
Seconding this, Ajit Thakur of Eros
Entertainment, said: "All of our films are
working there... 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' features
Salman Khan, and that film is also working
very well at the box office over there."
When asked if only big budget films work in
China, Shetty said: "'Hindi Medium' will
release in China. That is a content-heavy
film."
CREDITS: I.A.N.S.

https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/irrfan-khans-hindi-medium-release-china-april-4-400505.