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EXCLUSIVE: Sooryavanshi, Antim and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui eyeing the Diwali 2021 spot but…..
Will it be a 3 way clash at the box office between Sooryavanshi, Antim and Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui during the Diwali 2021 weekend? Here's the real picture of all that's happening behind the scenes.
While the cinema halls have opened across the country with a 50 percent occupancy cap, the producers continue to await reopening of the film theatres in Maharashtra. The speculations are rife that an announcement on reopening of cinema halls should come from the government officials within the next 10 days. The not so encouraging performance of Bell Bottom, Chehre and Thalaivii has held back the industry from making release date announcements as they continue to wait for a communication from Government of Maharashtra.
On Thursday, the Multiplex Association of India had a meeting with Shiv Sena officials and a source informs that the officials conveyed their message of reopening cinema halls from the month of November. “However, Multiplex Association of India has pressured them to reopen cinema halls latest by the second week of October so that the industry can make the most out of the festive season of Diwali. They have been assured that their point of view will be put forward to the Maharashtra CM,” a source told us. Some more meetings will take place over the next few days and the trade is optimistic on good news from Maharashtra, however, the sources from the government inform that a concrete decision on reopening of cinema is yet to be taken.
The team has multiple posters with the theme of Diwali ready, suggesting an explosion at the ticket window. A trailer keeping the Diwali audience in mind is also in the works and contrary to what the first trailer suggested, there is some humor in the film too centered around Akshay’s character
Source
“The exhibitors have requested the officials to reopen cinemas by October 15, if not October 1 as that would give the producers a 20-day window of promotions for a Diwali release. The suspense continues, but hopefully, the Government will be considerate and surprise one and all with it’s decision in the coming week,” the source added. The release plans of big-ticket Bollywood films depend on the status quo of cinema halls in Maharashtra given that it accounts for 30 percent of the total biz.
However, there are three films which are internally planning for a Diwali release. The obvious one is the Rohit Shetty directed Sooryavanshi fronted by Akshay Kumar with extended cameos from Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh. It features Katrina Kaif as the female lead. The team has multiple posters with the theme of Diwali ready, suggesting an explosion at the ticket window. A trailer keeping the Diwali audience in mind is also in the works and contrary to what the first trailer suggested, there is some humor in the film too centered around Akshay’s character. According to an insider, a comic track with an interesting human trait has been curated around Sooryavanshi, which has been kept under wraps. Rohit and co. await the announcement from Maharashtra government before making things official and at this point of time, they are optimistic on a Diwali opening. However, things may change if the announcement of reopening takes longer than expected.
If it clashes with Sooryavanshi or gets postponed once Rohit makes the official announcement is something only time shall say. However, a Diwali release for Antim is confirmed if Sooryavanshi, the big elephant, for any reason, misses on the slot.
Source
The second film targeting the Diwali spot is the Mahesh Manjrekar directed Antim, which is a battle royal between Salman Khan and Aayush Sharma. Like Sooryavanshi, even Antim team is hopeful of reopening in Maharashtra within the next 10 days, and given the local flavor, is targeting a Diwali opening. If it clashes with Sooryavanshi or gets postponed once Rohit makes the official announcement is something only time shall say. However, a Diwali release for Antim is confirmed if Sooryavanshi, the big elephant, for any reason, misses on the slot.
The third in the list is the Abhishek Kapoor directed comedy, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor in lead. The final cut of the comic caper is locked and the makers are confident of the content. In-fact, multiple test screenings too have already taken place and they received a positive response from the ones who have seen it. However, there is a catch on their release plans. Since producer Bhushan Kumar has collaborated with Rohit Shetty on Cirkus, the Ayushmann Khurrana film will release on Diwali only if Sooryavanshi misses out on the slot. Basically, if the cop universe film is pushed further, the Diwali weekend could see a clash between Antim and Chandigarh Kare Aashqiui. But these are just tentative plans and internal talks and the final decision will majorly depend on the cinema hall status of Maharashtra and the restrictions imposed by the government.
The final cut of the comic caper is locked and the makers are confident of the content. In-fact, multiple test screenings too have already taken place and they received a positive response from the ones who have seen it
Source
Apart from the aforementioned three films, many other biggies await release plans if cinema halls reopen in Maharashtra. The Shahid Kapoor starrer Jersey, which was originally announced for a Diwali release, is now expected somewhere in December. Same is the case with John Abraham’s actioner Satyameva Jayate 2, which will be among the first few films to release. The Yash Raj Production, Bunty Aur Babli 2 is another entertainer targeting a December release. The cycle of medium to big budget film release should begin from Diwali and the releases will gain momentum by Christmas, when the big elephant, Aamir Khan arrives with Laal Singh Chaddha. Of all the releases in 2021, the two which are expected to clock the 3-digit mark even in current restrictive scenarios are Sooryavanshi and Laal Singh Chaddha, provided cinema halls across the country are functional. Let’s wait and watch as to how the action unfolds in the next few weeks.
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