The release of Telugu film Akhanda 2 and its dubbed versions in Hindi and other South languages has been postponed. With the producers not being able to make the payment of almost Rs. 28 crore to Eros International, as ordered by the Madras high court on December 3, they had no option but to put off the release today (December 5).
In an appeal filed by Eros, the high court had injuncted the film’s release till payment of Rs. 27.80 crore to Eros under an earlier arbitral award was made. After the order of the division bench of the high court in Eros’ appeal, the producers of Akhanda 2 tried to convince Eros that payment would be made in due course of time, but the latter asked for a written commitment with dates of payment, which the producers failed to provide. Expecting that a settlement would be arrived at or that a miracle would happen, the producers of the film did not ask the cinemas, multiplexes and ticketing platforms like BookMyShow to discontinue the advance booking of the film. Rather, the producers instructed them to keep selling the film’s tickets. However, now that the release is postponed, the monies would have to be refunded to members of the public who had booked their tickets in advance.
The trade got an nkling that the release of the Nandamuri Balakrishna starrer would be cancelled when the film’s premiere show in Hyderabad yesterday (December 4) was postponed at the last moment. According to a source, the producers were at one point contemplating holding the premiere today (December 5) and releasing the film all over tomorrow (December 6). But with Eros refusing to budge from its stand following the court order in its favour, the producers of Akhanda 2 realised that the release without honouring the court order was not going to be possible. Hence the postponement.
The film’s producers, 14 Reels Plus, tweeted late last night (December 4) about the postponement. The tweet read: “With a heavy heart, we regret to inform you that #Akhanda2 will not be releasing as scheduled due to unavoidable circumstances. This is a painful moment for us, and we truly understand the disappointment it brings to every fan and movie lover awaiting the film. We are working tirelessly to resolve the matter at the earliest. Our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. Your support means the world to us. We promise to share a positive update very soon.”
Information had last evening hinted that the film would be postponed, in a news item captioned ‘Will Akhanda 2 Release Tomorrow?’
