JOIN USMaharashtra crisis may delay big Hindi releases
Hindi films ready for release are up against many odds. Tight restrictions in Maharashtra and a couple of other states due to the surge in Covid-19 cases could result in the postponement of big films. Some producers are mulling the direct-to-OTT option..
The Amitabh Bachchan-Emraan Hashmi starrer ‘Chehre’, ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ sequel and Ram Gopal Verma’s ‘D Company’ are some of the high profile flicks postponed due to the second wave.
There are a couple of noteworthy releases on streaming platforms in the April-May window. ‘The Big Bull’, starring Abhishek Bachchan, is out on April 8 on Hotstar while ‘Toofaan’, which brings back the combination of Farhan Akhtar-Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra after ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, will drop on Amazon Prime Video on May 21.
Big-scale films lined up for theatrical release in the two months stare at uncertainty. If the pandemic relents, Bollywood will take its first step towards recovering from the huge losses suffered last year. Otherwise, the situation is likely to remain tepid till the Diwali-Christmas phase.
Here is a check-list of the films with great potential for box-office success.
‘Sooryavanshi’ (April 30)
The frequently-postponed Rohit Shetty film was first slated to release March last. The soaring Covid-19 cases are a fresh roadblock for the team. The surefire blockbuster stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, with Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh essaying the popular ‘Singham’ and ‘Simmba’ characters in cameos. Rumours say the film could be postponed yet again.
‘Radhe’ (May 13)
Director Prabhudheva reunites with Salman Khan after ‘Wanted’ in this mega-action flick that also has Disha Patani and Jackie Shroff. Randeep Hooda plays the chief of a drug cartel. The film was set to clash with Akshay Kumar’s ‘Laxmii’ before the latter chose to land directly on an OTT platform.
Salman’s films on Eid rarely perform poorly. Since ‘Wanted’, only twice (2020 & 2013) has Salman not had a release on the festival day.
‘Satyameva Jayate 2’ (May 13)
John Abraham plays a double role for the first time in the sequel of the 2017-film. It’s a brave call from director Milap Zaveri and team to take on a Salman Khan film. Any shortfall in ‘Radhe’ will work to the advantage of the patriotic action-drama.
Even otherwise, a Salman-Eid release will have a worthy opponent for the first time. In 2018, ‘Zero’ was set to clash with ‘Race 3’ but the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer was eventually pushed.
Also, there is no love lost between Salman and John at a personal level. The feud began at a concert tour and there were aggravations later involving Katrina Kaif. So at one level, it can be a battle of egos too.
‘Bell Bottom’ (May 28)
Akshay Kumar’s espionage biggie was shot during the lockdown abroad. Vaani Kapoor and Lara Dutta are Akshay’s co-stars while Ranjit M Tewari, who made ‘Lucknow Central’, is the
director.
The Akshay-hit formula is in place: not-so-popular heroines, a hitherto flop director, and a solid story (set in the 1980s) helped by quick and economic production. ‘Bell Bottom’ has the potential to be a big hit.