Click https://bit.ly/komal214 if video does not autoplay.
The question uppermost in people’s minds till recently was: When will cinemas reopen? Now that the date for the reopening is set (15th October), everyone wants to know, which films will hit the screens on Diwali. Sooryavanshi had been announced by Reliance as the Diwali bonanza to watch out for. But that was when cinemas were expected to reopen in August or September. Of course, the restarting will happen as late as in mid-October, barely a month before Diwali. Hence Reliance Entertainment lost no time in postponing the release of its much-hyped and eagerly awaited Sooryavanshi. Although a new date for the Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif starrer has not yet been announced, it is clear that the film will not open on 13th November (Diwali).
With the postponement of Sooryavanshi, the question that began to trouble the trade was: So what will release on Diwali? It has now emerged that at least three films are being readied for release in the Diwali week. They are Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, starring Diljit Dosanjh, Manoj Bajpayee and Fatima Sana Shaikh, and either of Indoo Ki Jawani (starring Kiara Advani and Aditya Seal) or producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Tuesdays And Fridays (starring Anmol Dhillon, Jhataleka Malhotra, Zoa Morani and Niki Walia). There are also rumours that Aditya Chopra might get his Bunty Aur Babli 2 in the festival week which is considered to be good for the box-office. Besides these films, there are several regional language films finalised for release in the Diwali week but their release will be concentrated area-wise. For instance, two Marathi films may make the scene on Diwali in Maharashtra. Of course, all these films or at least most of them will make it to the cinemas on Diwali provided the footfalls in the weeks leading up to the Diwali week are decent enough to inspire the confidence of the producers to release their films on Diwali.
So where does that leave Sooryavanshi? If trade gossip is to be believed, it will now release in the Republic Day week (on 22nd January). Reliance had a choice between Christmas this year and Republic Day next year for Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi. That’s because the Christmas weekend had been reserved for its 83. Rather than shift both the films, Reliance took the decision to keep the date of 83 intact while rescheduling Sooryavanshi to 22nd January.
Incidentally, while Laxmmi Bomb has been announced for premiere on Diwali on Disney+ Hotstar, Chhalaang will pemiere on the festive occasion on Amazon Prime.