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Reliance Entertainment will not release Sooryavanshi on Diwali, as announced during the lockdown. The Rohit Shetty film, co-produced by him, Akshay Kumar and Karan Johar in association with Reliance, will now have a new release date. Although cinemas have been granted permission to reopen from 15th October, it is anybody’s guess that the reopening may not be cent per cent as cinemas in states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu may take longer to restart. The Central government, while permitting cinemas to reopen from 15th October, have left it to the various state governments to assess the situation in their respective states before permitting cinemas to reopen. Since the lockdown in Maharashtra has been extended till October 31, cinemas will not be able to reopen till the month-end, at least.
Since Sooryavanshi had been announced as a Diwali release, it would have opened on 13th November. But even if one were to assume that cinemas all over the country will be operational by 1st November, the producers of a big-budgeted film like Sooryavanshi may not like to release it so soon after cinemas all over the nation are reopened. In fact, any big film’s producer would like to watch audience behaviour for at least three to four weeks after cinemas reopen, before deciding whether it would be advisable to bring their film to the theatres. For, reopening of the cinemas is only one part of the story. The other equally important part is the public returning to the cinemas with a sense of safety and security. Of course, cent per cent security may come when a medicine or a vaccine for the dreaded coronavirus is available in the market, but before that, a fair sense of safety and security would come when the virus spreading curve flattens in the country. In view of the above, Reliance, Akshay Kumar, Rohit Shetty and Karan Johar have jointly decided to postpone the release of Sooryavanshi. A new release date is yet to be finalised but it is certain that Reliance will not have any Diwali release this year.
The other film of Reliance, 83, had been announced for release on Christmas. It is now to be seen whether the film about the World Cup cricket match of 1983 does keep its date with the cinemas. It may be recalled that prior to the coronavirus lockdown, Reliance had announced Sooryavanshi for release on 24th March while Ranveer Singh starrer 83 was announced for 10th April release. But the coronavirus outbreak poured water on the release plans of both the films, like it did on the release schedules of other films slated to hit the screens between April and October this year. During the pandemic lockdown, the new release dates announced for Reliance’s two films were Diwali (Sooryavanshi) and Christmas (83). It is now definite that the first release has been postponed. Whether Kabir Khan’s 83 hits the screens on Christmas or whether Sooryavanshi now releases on Christmas is to be seen.
As for the question whether there will at all be a big film hitting the screens on Diwali, now that Sooryavanshi will not be releasing on 13th November, one has to wait and watch. Maybe, just maybe, Aditya Chopra, who has steadfastly held on to his belief and faith in big-screen entertainment and has, therefore, not committed a single film of his for an OTT premiere, might schedule a Diwali release. Did we hear a sigh of release — sorry, relief — from multiplexes and single-screen cinemas?