Mahesh Bhatt movie ‘Sadak 2’ will release online directly

Director Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Sadak 2’, starring Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanjay Dutt and Pooja Bhatt, will release directly online, confirmed its producer Mukesh Bhatt.

The film, which was originally scheduled to release in cinemas on July 9, was postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It is the sequel to the 1991 romantic thriller ‘Sadak’.

According to reports, the makers decided to opt for a digital release due to the uncertainty surrounding movies after the global pandemic, wherein cinemas are yet to open in India.

“It [number of COVID-19 cases] is increasing day-by-day instead of subsiding. In this situation do you think the theatres will open? And even if they do and ‘Sadak 2’ is released, will people go watch it? People have to protect their families. Today, life is more important,” producer Mukesh Bhatt told PTI.

Many Bollywood films that were meant to release in cinemas have opted to go the digital premiere route.

Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana’s ‘Gulabo Sitabo’ was a recent film that released online first. Vidya Balan’s new project ‘Shakuntala Devi’ will also bypass the traditional cinematic release to release online first due to social distancing measures.