Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan set to encash Ramzan, Eid

Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara will be promoted through various events themed around the festival. “The makers will host three qawwali nights on June 28, 29 and 30 in three cities — Mumbai, Lucknow and Delhi. The events will be open to the public."

Ekta Kapoor’s Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara (OUATIMD) might have lost out to Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express in the race to hit theatres on Eid (August 8), but that hasn’t stopped its makers from riding the festive wave.

The film, which will release a week later — on August 15 — will be promoted through various events themed around the festival.

“The makers will host three qawwali nights on June 28, 29 and 30 in three cities — Mumbai, Lucknow and Delhi. The events will be open to the public. The cast of the film — Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Imran Khan — will attend the events and interact with the audience,” says a source from the production house.

The music performances will feature some renowned professional qawwals from the country. Interestingly, right before Ramadan, one of the songs from the film — ‘Tayyab ali’ — will also be released.

Adds the insider, “On July 12, which is the first big jumma (Friday) of the month, Imran will visit the Mahim dargah for Iftaar. The following days will see Akshay, Imran and Sonakshi visiting Mohammad Ali Road for Iftaari distribution.” The promotions will culminate with a grand Iftaar party at the end of the month .

“Eid is a huge festival and our film is releasing just a week after it. So it makes sense to tie in some promotions in a manner that is seamless and organic,” says Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures.

Apparently, the makers of Chennai Express too plan to up their ante by promoting the film as part of an extensive 50-day plan.