"Jija ji hain, dhyan se," murmurs a goon in the trailer for Atrangi Re. "It's brother-in-law, be careful." This Jija ji, played by Dhanush, is fragile goods, packaged and delivered in a sack to his own wedding.

Thus begins Aanand L Rai's twisty new romance, with a Tamil-speaking man forced to marry a northern girl. The girl, played by Sara Ali Khan, moves with him to Delhi, but can't get over her past. Enter Akshay Kumar, as a magician-jester she's in love with. Is he for real? The trailer keeps this bit unresolved. What is clear, though, is the film's central conflict: about a woman in love with two men and wants to keep both. "Just once... if a girl gets both... what could happen?" she asks.

Atrangi Re is written by Himanshu Sharma, who threw similar romantic curveballs in Raanjhanaa and the Tanu Weds Manu series. Shot in Agra, Greater Noida and Madurai, this is Dhanush's third Hindi film, and his second with Aanand L Rai. The latter also applies to Akshay, who has shot the drama Raksha Bandhan with the director. Sara, meanwhile, is appearing in her third feature and is years younger than her leading men.

Addressing the age disparity between the actors, Aanand has urged audiences to be 'patient', suggesting that casting choices are important to the film. As with Raanjhanaa, he has collaborated with A R Rahman on the music, with Irshad Kamil penning the lyrics.

Atrangi Re missed its theatrical release date several times. The film is finally premiering digitally on Disney+ Hotstar on December 24.