Love in Vietnam

Love in Vietnam
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRahat Shah Kazmi
Screenplay by
  • Rahat Shah Kazmi
  • Kritika Rampal
Based onMadonna in a Fur Coat
by Sabahattin Ali
Produced byOmung Kumar
Captain Rahul Bali
Rahhat Shah Kazmi
Sarvesh Goel
Pankaj Chauhan
Muhammad Antulay
Saahil Sheikh
Abhishek Ankur
Tariq Khan
Zeba Sajid
Starring
CinematographyDudley
Edited bySanjay Sankla
Music byScore:
Tuhin K. Biswas
Songs:
Meet Bros
Amaal Malik
Rashid Khan
Aamir Ali
Production
companies
Zee Studios
Innovations India
Blue Lotus Pictures
Rahhat Shah Kazmi Films
Zebaish Entertainment
Tariq Khan Production
Mango Tree Entertainmen
AND Productions
Distributed byZee Studios (India)
Reliance Entertainment (Worldwide)
Shanghai YC Media and Film (China)
Release dates
  • 1 July 2025 (2025-07-01) (DANAFF)
  • 12 September 2025 (2025-09-12) (India)
[1]
Running time
132 minutes[2][3]
CountriesIndia
Vietnam
LanguagesHindi
Vietnamese
BudgetUS$4 million[a]
Box office₹0.47 crore[5]

Love in Vietnam (Vietnamese: Yêu từ cái nhìn đầu tiên)[6] is a 2025 Indian-Vietnamese romantic drama film written and directed by Rahat Shah Kazmi.[7] It is based on the novel Madonna in a Fur Coat, and features Shantanu Maheshwari, Avneet Kaur and Khả Ngân with legendary actors Raj Babbar, Farida Jalal and Gulshan Grover in supporting roles. [8]

Principal photography commenced in September 2024 at Vietnam and took two months to complete.[9][10] The film was released on 12 September 2025.[11]

Plot

Cast

  • Shantanu Maheshwari as Manav
  • Avneet Kaur as Simmi
  • Khả Ngân as Linh
  • Farida Jalal as Bebbe
  • Raj Babbar as Soorma Singh
  • Gulshan Grover as Pankaj
  • Mir Sarwar as Simmi's father
  • Saquib Ayub as Harbinder Singh
  • John Nhia as Tung
  • Krishika Patel as Dolly
  • Kusum Tickoo as Simmi's mother
  • Monica Aggarwal as Ms.Monica
  • Tahir Ashraf as HE Dr Sethi - Consul General and later Ambassador of India to Vietnam

Production

The film was announced at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.[8] It is based on the novel Madonna in a Fur Coat (1943), written by Sabahattin Ali.[8] Shantanu Maheshwari, Avneet Kaur and Khả Ngân was cast to appear in the film.[12][13][14] Principal photography of the film commenced in September 2024, and filming ended in December 2024.[15][16][17][18] The filming took place in Vietnam and India.[19]

Music

Love In Vietnam
Soundtrack album by
Amaal Mallik, Meet Bros, Rashid Khan and Aamir Ali
Released2025 (2025)
GenreSoundtrack
Length30:13
LanguageHindi
LabelDRJ Records

The first single titled "Bade Din Huye" was released on 22 July 2025.[20] The second single titled "Fakira" was released on 18 August 2025.[21] The third single title "Burrah Burrah" was released on 1 September 2025.[22]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Bade Din Huye"Rashmi ViragAmaal MallikArmaan Malik5:53
2."Fakira"Rahhat Shah KazmiAamir AliVarun Jain5:12
3."Burrah Burrah"KumaarMeet BrosMeet Bros, Malkit Singh, Ninja, Harshdeep Kaur3:13
4."Jeena Nahi"Rashmi ViragAmaal MallikArmaan Malik4:45
5."Chahe Jo Ho"Rahhat Shah KazmiAamir AliJubin Nautiyal3:53
6."Teri Pehli Nazar"Kunaal VermaaDevv SadaanaRaghav Chaitanya3:35
7."No Matter What[23]"   3:42
Total length:30:13

Release

The official Poster of the film was released at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May 2024 at the Bharat Pavilion. The film's poster was unveiled by the Ambassador of India to France, Mr. Jawed Ashraf, in the presence of producer Captain Rahul Bali, director Rahat Kazmi, and lead actors Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur.[24]

The trailer of the film was released on 25 August 2025.[25] The film was cleared with a U/A certificate from the CBFC.[26]

The film was premiered at the Da Nang Asian Film Festival, Vietnam on 1 July 2025.[27][28]

Reception

The film garnered widespread acclaim from renowned filmmakers, esteemed critics and leading media houses in India and around the world.

Hollywood's leading publication Variety praised the film and lauded its groundbreaking distribution deal in China.[29]

Vietnam's longest-running newspaper, Lao Động, stated that the film lays the foundation for a promising cinematic collaboration between India and Vietnam.[30]

Acclaimed filmmaker Imtiaz Ali praised the film for its freshness and making history by securing 10,000 screens in China even before releasing in India.[31]

Varun Dhawan called it a “very sweet and endearing” film praising the lead actors Avneet Kaur and Shantanu Maheshwari and the beautiful locations showcased in the film.[32]

Murtaza Ali Khan from The Sunday Guardian praised the film saying it "bridges cultures through cinematic romance and diplomacy".[33]


The Times of India deemed Love in Vietnam a stand out for its soulful music, striking visuals, and a refreshing cast despite release clashes.[34]

Business World in its review hailed Love In Vietnam as a tender, soulful film that dares to be quiet in the noisy world of Bollywood giving it a solid rating of 4.5/5.[35]

Priyanka Gupta of DNA praised the film as a poignant and sincere romance, lauding its emotional depth and honest storytelling. She awarded it a 4 out of 5 rating.[36]

Notes

  1. ^ Thanh Niên reported that the film was made on an estimated budget of 4 million USD.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Công chiếu lần đầu bộ phim "Love in Vietnam" tại Liên hoan phim châu Á Đà Nẵng". VOV (Voices of Vietnam) (in Vietnamese). 1 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Love in Vietnam". British Board of Film Classification.
  3. ^ "Love In Vietnam (2025)". Central Board of Film Certification.
  4. ^ "Mang câu chuyện Việt Nam ra toàn cầu với Love in Vietnam". Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). 15 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Love in Vietnam Box Office Collection". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 2025-12-18.
  6. ^ "'Love in Vietnam': Dấu ấn hợp tác Việt – Ấn tại DANAFF 2025". Báo điện tử Công lý (in Vietnamese). 1 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Kashmiri filmmaker Rahat Shah Kazmi picks up a Turkish story and plants it on the Punjabi-Vietnamese soil, but he says his film Love in Vietnam is Punjabi in its flavour". The Tribune. 15 June 2024.
  8. ^ a b c "Cannes 2024: First look poster of Shantanu Maheshwari, Avneet Kaur's 'Love in Vietnam' unveiled". The Hindu. 23 May 2024. ISSN 0971-751X.
  9. ^ "'Love in Vietnam': Cinematic bridge between Viet Nam and India". en.baodanang.vn (in Vietnamese). 8 August 2025.
  10. ^ "फिल्म 'Love In Vietnam' में Avneet Kaur, Shantanu Maheshwari, Kha Ngan के साथ नज़र आंएगी Farida Jalal". Mayapuri (in Hindi). 26 August 2025.
  11. ^ "'Love in Vietnam' starring Shantanu Maheshwari, Avneet Kaur to hit theatres in September". Telegraph India. 10 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Shantanu Maheshwari says he wanted to attend Cannes for his work, and that's how it happened". Indulgexpress. 23 May 2024.
  13. ^ "Avneet Kaur opens up on making her international debut with Love in Vietnam: I mainfested it". Hindustan Times. 6 June 2024.
  14. ^ "Luôn biết điểm mạnh, điểm yếu của mình". VTV Cần Thơ (in Vietnamese). 19 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Samten Hills Dalat, phim trường chính của 'Love in Vietnam'". Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). 24 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Avneet Kaur Begins Shooting For Her Maiden International Project Love In Vietnam, Drops Pics Online". Zee News. 27 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Avneet Kaur wraps up the first schedule of her international film 'Love In Vietnam'". Mid-day. 1 October 2024.
  18. ^ "Beautiful actress Kha Ngan films for Love In Viet Nam in Da Nang". Dan Viet Newspaper (in Vietnamese). December 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "Love in Vietnam: Connecting Vietnamese and Indian Cinema". vietnam.vn. 10 October 2024.
  20. ^ "'Bade Din Huye': Romantic song from Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur's Love in Vietnam out". Cinema Express. 22 July 2025.
  21. ^ ""Fakira": Love in Vietnam's heartbreak ballad by Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur". The Assam Tribune. 18 August 2025.
  22. ^ "Meet Bros, Malkit Singh, Ninja, Harshdeep Kaur, Shantanu Maheshwari, Avneet Kaur, Kha Ngan". Bollywood Hungama. 2 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Song "No Matter What" of Film "Love in Vietnam"". Central Board of Film Certification.
  24. ^ "Love in Vietnam: Avneet Kaur announces her first international film at Cannes 2024". The Times of India. 2024-05-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  25. ^ "Love in Vietnam Trailer Out: Shantanu, Avneet, Kha Ngan in Cross-Border Love Story". Deccan Chronicle. 25 August 2025.
  26. ^ "Imtiaz Ali Has Only Good Things To Say About Love In Vietnam". News18. 9 September 2025.
  27. ^ "Love in Vietnam Red Carpet World Premiere at DANAFF 2025". www.peepingmoon.com/. 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  28. ^ "Vietnam, India debut first joint film project at Da Nang festival". Tuổi Trẻ (in Vietnamese). 2 July 2025.
  29. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2025-09-01). "Bollywood Film 'Love in Vietnam' Lands China Distribution Deal (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  30. ^ https://news.laodong.vn/lao-dong-cuoi-tuan/nha-san-xuat-bollywood-rahul-bali-dien-anh-an-do-mo-loi-cho-du-lich-viet-nam-thang-hoa-1576933.ldo
  31. ^ "Imtiaz Ali Has Only Good Things To Say About Love In Vietnam". News18. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  32. ^ "Love in Vietnam: Why Varun Dhawan's shout-out matters for Avneet Kaur and Shantanu Maheshwari". Hungama Express. 2025-09-12. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  33. ^ https://sundayguardianlive.com/feature/love-in-vietnam-bridges-cultures-through-cinematic-romance-diplomacy-138131/
  34. ^ "Despite release clashes, 'Love In Vietnam' stands out for Its music, visuals, and fresh cast". The Times of India. 2025-09-16. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  35. ^ "Love In Vietnam Review: A Breath Of Fresh Air In The Middle Of Bollywood's Noise". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  36. ^ Gupta, Priyanka. "Love in Vietnam - When Love Becomes Memory and Memory Becomes Love". DNA India. Retrieved 2025-09-24.