The Idea Of ‘Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’ Came From Matrimonial Ads

Matrimonial ads aren’t exactly known for their creativity or their ability to entertain. For debutant director Ali Abbas Zafar, however, the ads in the classified pages of newspapers were what inspired him to make Mere Brother Ki Dulhan.
“I used to see the matrimonial page of newspapers on Sundays. It’s a very creative page. There are so many ads well written seeking brides or bridegrooms. It has ads of every caste and culture - be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh - and what’s most interesting is that all have almost same requirement,” said Zafar.
“You will find entire India together in one page. It’s so entertaining. Then I thought that if a film is made based on that subject it could be hugely entertaining with a lot of mass appeal,” he added.
The director also took inspiration from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Chupke Chupke and Gol Maal while giving shape to his film, starring Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif.
“You will find some glimpses of those films because they are also family films, very sophisticated, clean films. My film has Dhunki and Mere Brother Ki Dulhan like songs, but it’s a clean and celebratory kind of movie,” he said.