With theatres opening up again, and with people trickling back, the trade hopes cinemas will do a booming business again at some point this year.
From Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan to Ranveer Singh, they have all had their fans waiting restlessly for a new release for months owing to the pandemic. And while these stars had the opportunity at some point last year to head for an OTT release, they did not go for it.
While some might believe that the makers didn't opt for OTT releases of these much-awaited films because digital was overdosed with new releases every other day last year, other's might be of the opinion that since a lot of money is riding on the films with big stars involved, the actual reason these films waited for theatres to open is because they were box-office money hungry.
Well, whatever be the case, the one thing that is certain is that the audiences sure can't wait to get back to the cinemas. Subsequently, with theatres opening up again, and with people trickling back, the trade hopes cinemas will do a booming business again at some point this year.
Not surprisingly, the mainstream factory has been working overtime to ensure a steady line-up of releases that is ready for the months ahead.
It's all about big stars and big line-up for the big screen. Only, if the COVID situation comes under control there will be big ticket sales, too.
1. 83
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In what was supposed to be an OTT release in 2020, Kabir Khan's '83', which has been one of the most talked-about Bollywood films since last year, will finall see a thatreical release in 2021.
'83' narrates the story of India's first-ever cricket World Cup victory in 1983. In the movie, Ranveer Singh stars as the underdog team's captain Kapil Dev while Deepika Padukone plays Kapil`s wife Romi Dev. A handpicked cast reprises cricketing icons as Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder Amarnath, K. Srikkanth, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sandeep Patil, Yashpal Sharma, Madan Lal, Roger Binny, Syed Kirmani, Kirti Azad, Balwinder Sandhu, and Sunil Valson along with team manager Man Singh and Farokh Engineer. Shot on actual locations including Lord's, the movie is expected to open in the first quarter of 2021.
2. Sooryavanshi
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After a lot of back and forth for an OTT release, Rohit Shetty's ambitious 'Sooryavanshi' will finally come alive on the big screen in 2021. Akshay Kumar will be seen as ATS officer Veer Sooryavanshi on a lookout for terrorists planning a deadly strike on Mumbai. Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh will reprise their roles of Singham and Simmba respectively in special appearances. Actress Katrina Kaif will be seen as Veer Sooryavanshi's wife while Jackie Shroff plays the antagonist. The film is expected to release in March.
3. Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai
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While fans and film exhibitors feared that Salman Khan's much-awaited film 'Radhe' will head for an OTT release, but it's confirmed that Bhaijaan will be back on the big screen with yet another larger than life story. Directed by Prabhudheva, the film was scheduled to release in 2020 but got pushed due to the Covid crisis. The makers are planning an Eid 2021 release for the film, co-starring Disha Patani.
4. Roohi Afzana
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The film casts Rajkummar Rao opposite Janhvi Kapoor. Directed by debutant Hardik Mehta, the horror comedy is expected to narrate a story of a ghost who abducts brides on their honeymoons.
In an earlier interview with Republic TV, talking about Roohi Afzana's possibility of having an OTT release, Hardik Mehta said that popular if his producers wanted to go down the route, he will stand by them.
5. Black Widow
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The Black Widow, starring Scarlett Johansson, which was set to release on May 1, 2020, in India, got delayed due to COVID.
Then reports claimed that the film will be released digitally on Disney+, however, that did not happen and then in September Walt Disney Co postponed the release of the superhero movie until 2021. It is now set for a release on May 7, 2021.
