Mumbai: Superstar Akshay Kumar-starrer action-drama Sooryavanshi is eyeing a theatrical release window between January and March 2021. Earlier it had plans for a Diwali opening. However, that plan has ben shelved Reliance Entertainment Group CEO Shibasish Sarkar said Monday.
The studio had announced in June that the Rohit Shetty directorial will hit the theatres on Diwali. Their other release the sports drama 83, fronted by Ranveer Singh, will arrive during Christmas.
“We will release Sooryavanshi on a future date, which we haven’t yet decided. Akshay, Rohit and Reliance will decide together on the new release date ideally from January to March,” Sarkar said.
He pointed out that releasing Sooryavanshi on such a short notice is not possible. The Centre has recently approved reopening of cinema halls from October 15. Hence, the team decided to defer the film.
“Earlier we had made announcements for the release of Sooryavanshi on Diwali and 83 on Christmas. Now releasing a film in Diwali is not practical. Some states still haven’t announced opening up theatres and you can’t release Sooryavanshi with less than one month promotion. For 83, as of now it is slated for a Christmas release. (There is) No change in that process,” informed Sarkar.
Sooryavanshi was originally scheduled to release March 24. The Kabir Khan-directed 83 was set to hit the cinema houses April 10. But both movies were indefinitely postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak led to the shutdown of theatres across India and in other parts of the world.
Sooryavanshi is the fourth film in Shetty’s cop universe after Ajay Devgn’s Singham, Singham Returns, and Simmba, starring Ranveer.
The film 83 chronicles India’s first cricket World Cup win under the captaincy of Kapil Dev in 1983. It also stars Hardy Sandhu, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Jiva, Saqib Saleem, Pankaj Tripathi and Deepika Padukone.
It is produced by Khan, Vishnu Vardhan Induri, Madhu Mantena, Padukone and Sajid Nadiadwala and presented by Reliance Entertainment.