Rhea Kapoor hopes 'Veere Di Wedding' breaks the glass ceiling

"Veere Di Wedding" producer Rhea Kapoor is happy with the positive response to the film, and hopes it changes the way female-centric films are perceived.

"Calling the film a chick flick would put it in a bracket. At a juncture where we are trying to break away from labels, it's high time we had a film that doesn't judge women and at the same time is aspirational," Rhea said in a statement to IANS.

"I am overwhelmed with response from the audience and at the box office and I hope this film breaks the glass ceiling," she added.

"Veere Di Wedding" opened in India on Friday, and raked in Rs. 10.70 crore on the first day of its release.

Apart from India, it released in over 27 countries including Singapore, Australia, the US, South Africa, Canada and Japan. On foreign shores, it registered business of $1 million on the opening day.

"Veere Di Wedding" is co-produced by Rhea, Ekta Kapoor and Nikhil Dwivedi.

The movie has drawn a lot of interest especially as it is Kareena Kapoor Khan's first film since she became a mother, and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja's first movie to release since her wedding. For Swara Bhasker, it is a different zone that she is stepping into and Shikha Talsania is making her debut with the project, directed by Shashanka Ghosh.

They are cast in a coming-of-age story revolving around the lives of four friends who deal with the trials and tribulations regarding family acceptance, marriage and societal perceptions in the modern-day world. The girls openly talk about their sex lives and hurl abuses.

The film is internationally distributed by Zee Studios International.

Vibha Chopra, Head - Zee Studios International (Film Marketing, Distribution and Acquisition), said: "Female-centric films are finding more takers and the demand for forward thinking content is only increasing. 'Veere Di Wedding' is expected to be a game-changer for the genre.

"On the first day itself, this film has ranked eight amongst the top 10 in the UK in the overall UK box office, it has ranked number four in Australia and number three in New Zealand for the day. The film is also the second highest opener of the year in UK and North America."

Chopra says "international markets have now opened up to conventional and unconventional Indian content and for this particular film the release strategy along with the marketing is something that worked in our favour".

Ekta also feels the film is a "celebration of life and is a presentation of the times we live in".

"The roaring box office success is proof that audiences are making choices that resonate with them. This is just the start for clutter breaking, entertaining films."