Under the Unlock 5.0 guidelines, the government has allowed the cinema theatres to operate with 50 per cent of their sitting capacity. Even though the news has given a little relief to the exhibitors and owners who were bearing the losses as high as Rs 1500 crore every month, the normalcy still seems far from being achieved. The filmmakers of major Hindi movies scheduled to hit the screens are yet to figure out a way to reach the audience through big screens and decide upon the release calendar of these anticipated movies.
However, CEO of Reliance Entertainment, Shibasish Sarkar, has confirmed that they are in no hurry to release their film as there was no confirmation on whether theatres were opening in all states including Maharashtra where Bollywood is based. He told Times of India, “Theatres aren’t reopening in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu either. So, we shall wait and watch before deciding the release of 83 and Sooryavanshi. Look, even if theatres open in all states by November 1, we can’t release such a big film, doing only 15 days of promotion.”
He said that before releasing such a big film the makers would want to wait and watch how public responds. He added, “Some film will definitely release in December. We shall watch the proceedings. We will know how many people came to see it. And who knows where Corona stands in India in December or November? What if cases are still high?”
There has been much delay in the release of the cop drama; in March the makers had informed that the film has been indefinitely postponed amid coronavirus pandemic. “We have been as excited as you are to present the film to you and your family, but due to the recent outburst of the COVID – 19 (Coronavirus), we, the makers, have decided to postpone the release of your film Sooryavanshi, keeping in mind the health and safety of our beloved audience… And therefore, Sooryavanshi will be back for you just when the time is right… After all, safety comes first… Until then, keep the excitement alive, take good care of yourself and stay strong… We shall pull through this…” one of the producers, Rohit Shetty Picturez, had shared in early March this year. The film’s initial release date was March 24.
