‘Fatima Mahal’. A dilapidated mansion in the heart of Lucknow, the crumbling building forms the setting of Shoojit Sircar’s new comedy Gulabo Sitabo. Releasing directly on Amazon Prime Video on June 12, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan as a 78-year-old landlord and Ayushmann Khurrana as his shrewd, squatting tenant. 

Mirza (Amitabh) is a hunched, childless coot, living in the past with his braying goats. Unable to oust the occupants of his beloved house, he decides to sell his property. But the Archeological Department won’t let him, which leads to a potential court case. That’s when Baankey (Ayushmann), his most hated tenant, suggests a plan: why doesn’t Mirza adopt him as his son? Mirza tells him off in a huff — but perhaps there’s more to this duo than the bickering and one-upmanship. 

Gulabo Sitabo is written by Juhi Chaturvedi in her fifth collaboration with Shoojit Sircar. The film’s title refers to the two heroines of traditional glove puppet theatre in Uttar Pradesh. 

Produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar under Rising Suns Films, the comedy-drama was slated for a theatrical release in April. However, with cinemas remaining indefinitely shut, the film will be released exclusively on Amazon Prime.