No sooner did the producers — T-Series and Emmay Entertainment — of Satyameva Jayate 2 announce today (17th March) their film’s release on Eid than exhibitors all over India pressed the panic button. Of course, it was known all along that Satyameva Jayate 2 would release on Eid (Thursday, May 13) alongwith Salman Khan’s Radhe, but the formal announcement today underlined the release plans of Satyameva Jayate 2 and gave it a sense of finality. The announcement of the release date today is a well-planned strategy because T-Series’ Mumbai Saga is slated for release this Friday (19th March). The common all-India distributor for both, Mumbai Saga and Satyameva Jayate 2, is Anil Thadani.
Thadani has asked his all-India offices to to take oral commitments, at the time of signing the exhibition contracts of Mumbai Saga, from the single-screen cinemas for shows for Satyameva Jayate 2 from 13th May. The oral commitments, of course, may not be easy because, as mentioned above, on Eid (13th May) will also release Salman Khan’s Radhe. And even if many single-screen cinemas give such assurances, they may find it difficult to honour their commitments for reasons explained below. Thadani cannot insist on single-screen cinemas signing the contracts for Satyameva Jayate 2 alongwith the contracts for Mumbai Saga because at this stage, no single-screen cinema will give preference to Satyameva Jayate 2 over Radhe. It would be the endeavour of every exhibitor to screen Radhe in all the shows because Salman Khan assures an initial like no other star in India does. If Anil Thadani were to insist on the contracts for Satyameva Jayate 2 and Mumbai Saga to be signed simultaneously, many exhibitors might prefer to forgo Mumbai Saga this week than commit to screening Satyameva Jayate 2 in one or two shows daily from Eid.
If the question was only about dividing the shows between Radhe and Satyameva Jayate 2, it would still not have been such a major problem for exhibitors. The problem, however, is bigger than that. Sooryavanshi, which is scheduled to hit the screens on 30th April, would also still be running in the cinemas on 13th May. More so because Sooryavanshi is slated to release during Ramzan. So although it would be the beginning of the third week for Sooryavanshi on 14th May, it would be expected to be a bountiful week because it would be the first week post-Ramzan. And 13th May being a Thursday, the producers of Sooryavanshi would never let go of that day because two weeks of Sooryavanshi would get over on 13th May rather than on 12th. In other words, if Eid falls on 13th May, Sooryavanshi would never vacate the single-screen cinemas as that would, perhaps, be the most or, at least, one of the most bountiful days of the two weeks from 30th April to 13th May. Even otherwise, nobody in the trade expects Sooryavanshi to exhaust its run in just two weeks. The industry has a lot of hopes pinned on the Rohit Shetty film and, therefore, exhibitors may have to divide the shows between three films — Sooryavanshi in its third week, and Radhe and Satyameva Jayate 2 in their first week. That it will be difficult for multiplexes to divide their shows between the three aforementioned big-budget and star-cast films goes without saying, especially multiplexes which have four or less screens. But can one imagine what single-screen cinemas will do? How, therefore, can they today honestly commit a show or two shows to Satyameva Jayate 2, knowing fully well that Radhe is due for release on the same day, and that Sooryavanshi would, in all probability, still be doing very well in the cinemas?
Information feels, the producers of Satyameva Jayate 2 might find it more worthwhile to postpone the release of their film because not only would it be clashing with Radhe but it would also, in a way, have to withstand the opposition of Sooryavanshi for the reasons mentioned above. Of course, this proposition (of postponement) may not be well taken today but if — as is expected — Sooryavanshi opens to bumper houses and does very well in the first two weeks, the producers of Satyameva Jayate 2 may be left with no other option but postponement. However, even the postponement may not be easy, after all. That’s because there’s some big film or the other scheduled for release every week or, at least, every other week.
Another reason for the trade having sleepless nights now is the second coronavirus wave in India. A number of cities have announced partial curfews which would translate into cancellation of the night shows. With cinemas in some states still allowed to operate at only 50% capacity, curfews would only add to the tale of woes of the producers of Sooryavanshi, Radhe and Satyameva Jayate 2 — that is, if matters don’t improve by April-end and mid-May.