SS Rajamouli’s much-anticipated period drama RRR is eyeing two release dates, as of now, with the theatre situation in the country still uncertain. “If the pandemic situation in the country gets better and all theatres open up to operate at full capacity, we are ready to release the film on 18 March, 2022. Otherwise, RRR movie will release on 28 April," the team has said in a statement.
Initially scheduled for 7 January, RRR was pushed due to rising Covid-19 cases and restrictions in various parts of India. If it arrives in theatres on 18 March, it will clash with Akshay Kumar’s action film Bachchan Pandey that has also been scheduled for the Holi weekend, for now. RRR stars Ram Charan, Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn in lead roles.
To be sure, several film producers have been forced to postpone the release of big-ticket films owing to rising Covid-19 cases, despite incurring losses, while new projects are also likely to get delayed. Prabhas’ Radhe Shyam, which had planned to stick to its Pongal debut, was postponed earlier this month, as was Ajith’s Tamil film Valimai. The films are headlined by Telugu and Tamil stars but would have lost a big chunk of their Hindi audience due to the Covid-led restrictions. Shahid Kapoor-starrer Jersey was first to push its release date from late December.
In February, high-profile titles such as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and Ranveer Singh’s Jayeshbhai Jordaar, which were scheduled for release, will now have to be postponed.
Release of Bollywood movies will make no sense at the moment as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana have shut cinemas, while regional language films will also suffer because Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are operating at 50% capacity.
