Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif's 'Sooryavanshi' not releasing on Diwali

The pandemic has delayed Akshay Kumar starrer 'Sooryavanshi' yet again. The superstar's film, which has been helmed by Rohit Shetty, was first scheduled to release in March this year but cinema halls were shutdown as the Indian government announced nationwide lockdown.

It was later announced that the film would be getting a theatrical release during Diwali, However, it was announced on Thursday that the film will be releasing during the festival time. The film has been co-produced by Reliance Studio and Karan Johar's Dharma Productions.

The studio had announced in June this year that the film will hit the theatres on Diwali, while their another release Ranveer Singh's '83' will arrive on Christmas.

Though the theatres are still shut across the country, they are expected to reopen from October 15 after the Union Home Ministry permitted cinemas and multiplexes to resume operations with up to 50 per cent of their seating capacity.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will be issuing a standard operating procedure (SOP) for cinemas soon.
CEO of Reliance Entertainment Shibashish Sarkar is happy with the government's decision but he is still unsure whether all the theatres will be operational by October 15.

Given the uncertainty, Sarkar said it is not practically possible to release 'Sooryavanshi' on Diwali.

"One thing is clear, we are not releasing any film on Diwali. No other decision has been taken. It is not possible to release a film on Diwali now. As of now, all cinema houses are not opening from October 15. Even if it opens on November 1, how can you release a film in 10 or 15 days notice period?" he told a news agency.

He said the makers are yet to take a call on the new release date of the Rohit Shetty-directed film.

"We are not sure whether we will change both 'Sooryavanshi' or '83' or we will just shift one film. It is definitely clear December to March is the time (to release films), this is the realistic timeline," he added.

'Sooryavanshi' is the third film in Shetty's cop universe after Ajay Devgn's 'Singham' and Ranveer Singh-starrer 'Simmba'. The film also features Katrina Kaif and Devgn and Singh have cameo appearances.

The film is presented by Reliance Entertainment and produced by Rohit Shetty Picturez in association with Dharma Productions and Cape of Good Films.