NEW DELHI: Sony Pictures Films India has decided to delay Major, a biographical action film directed by Sashi Kiran Tikka, based on the life of 2008 Mumbai attacks martyr Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, that was due for release on 11 February. It has been co-produced by Telugu actor Mahesh Babu and shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi and later dubbed into Malayalam. The film stars Adivi Sesh in the lead role.
“Major is a film made for India and we will release it only when the situation improves across the country," the firm said in a statement. Though states like Delhi have reopened cinemas, the 50% cap continues in most states.
Last September, Sony had announced a new slate of 17 films, including Hindi, regional language and Hollywood titles that it will bring to theatres over the next year. These include a comedy called Tera Kya Hoga Lovely, starring Ileana D’Cruz and Randeep Hooda, underwater thriller Dive directed by Nitin Parmar, Saale Aashiq, a film on honour killings to be directed by debutants Siddharth -Garima, who have written films like Bajirao Mastani, Nikamma starring Abhimanyu, Shirley Setia and Shilpa Shetty, and family entertainer Aankh Micholi, besides Major.
“There has been huge disruption in the feature film landscape (over the past few months) and a serious shift in creative thinking has taken place for filmmakers to see what will work from a theatrical and OTT point of view," Vivek Krishnani, managing director, Sony Pictures Films India had told Mint in an earlier interview. People will come to theatres if they get things that cannot be replicated on the small screen, Krishnani had said, such as great visual appeal, action or horror.
“We have to create larger-than-life narratives because if people have to make the effort to go to theatres and pay for F&B, they must be given creatively rewarding content," Krishnani said adding that theatre-going will continue to remain one of the big outings for families in India, other than eating out.
