French film 'Beauty & Beast' to get wide release in India

New Delhi: 'Beauty and The Beast', a retelling of the classic fairytale, will get a release on more than 60 screens in India, becoming the most widely exposed French film in the country in recent times.

Distributor Kamal Jain, who has acquired the rights of the film, says the movie has been promoted on a wide scale and he is hopeful about its success in India because of the popularity of the story 'Beauty and The Beast'.

"'Beauty and The Beast' is the most widely publicised and getting the biggest release among the French films released in India in recent times. It is being released on more than 60 screens and will be shown in all major cities. We have promoted it really well.

"Everyone from kids to elders are familiar with the story of the film. There have been many films made on the popular story so when I watched this particular movie, I thought it should be shown here. The canvas of the film is brilliant. It is a huge costume drama, made on a budget of Rs 300 crore and is so lavish," Kamal told PTI at the screening of the film here.

Kamal said that the release of 'Beauty and The Beast' can also pave the way for exposure of Indian audience to French cinema.

"I have brought French films to India earlier too and I am really optimistic that this cinema will receive a positive response here. In fact Indian films are loved there for their colours and vibrancy," he said.

The distributor does not have immediate plans of any Indo-French production but is keen for such collaborations. "We would like to explore the possibility of Indo-French collaborations, it would be really nice. There is nothing at the moment but if I get an opportunity I would love to be involved in such a project," he said.

'Beauty and The Beast', directed by Christophe Gans and starring Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux, is releasing here tomorrow.