Cast and crew of “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” walked the red carpet with members of the British royal family at the film’s Royal World Premiere Feb. 18 at the Odeon in Leicester Square, London. Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, were on hand at the gala event joining Oscar-nominated director John Madden and members of the cast including Dame Judi Dench, Lillete Dubey, Dame Maggie Smith, Tina Desai plus many celebrity guests. With flower garlands and colored drapes, Leicester Square was decorated to resemble a set from the Jaipur-based film, BBC reported.
The film, which will release March 6, is a sequel to the 2012 sleeper hit film “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which sees the original cast members reprise their roles, with Richard Gere joining the cast. The film also stars Dev Patel, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton and Tamsin Greig.
Following the premiere, Desai said the royal couple had been “extremely warm and gracious”, and that Prince Charles was very interested in the Bollywood film industry. The original film earned more than $135m at box offices worldwide on a production budget of $10m, the BBC report said.
The film’s website describes it as the “expansionist dream of Sonny (Dev Patel), and it’s making more claims on his time than he has available, considering his imminent marriage to the love of his life, Sunaina (Tina Desai).
Sonny has his eye on a promising property now that his first venture, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful, has only a single remaining vacancy posing a rooming predicament for fresh arrivals Guy (Richard Gere) and Lavinia (Tamsin Greig).
Evelyn and Douglas (Judi Dench and Bill Nighy) have now joined the Jaipur workforce, and are wondering where their regular dates for Chilla pancakes will lead, while Norman and Carol (Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle) are negotiating the tricky waters of an exclusive relationship, as Madge (Celia Imrie) juggles two eligible and very wealthy suitors.
Perhaps the only one who may know the answers is newly installed co-manager of the hotel, Muriel (Maggie Smith), the keeper of everyone’s secrets. As the demands of a traditional Indian wedding threaten to engulf them all, an unexpected way forward presents itself.
The film however has received mixed reviews from critics. The Guardian gave the sequel three out of five stars, saying it was a “slightly reshuffled replica” on the original. The Telegraph described the film as “unexpected and rewarding” compared with the original, also giving it three stars, while The Times said the “hotel’s exotic guests outstay their welcome.” Honestly titled if nothing else, the film is a sluggish also-ran compared to its predecessor, The Hollywood Reporter said in its review, and Forbes said the “film is hobbled by the terrible character arc for its young lead, but it gets by on the sheer charm and chemistry of its elders.”