Looks like another Bollywood film has been pushed further down the roster with Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Thalaivi’ being postponed by the makers following the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in India.
‘Thalaivi’, which was scheduled to release in cinemas on April 23, is based on the life of late Indian politician, J. Jayalalithaa and is being counted as one of the most anticipated film releases of the year.
In a media statement, the makers said they took a call for the safety of their audience.
“We are extremely grateful for the tremendous response and unconditional love you’ve shown for ‘Thalaivi’ trailer. As a team, we have sacrificed a lot in making this film and thank every member of the cast and crew who supported us in this challenging but remarkable journey.
“Since the film has been made in multiple languages, we would like to release it in all languages on the same day. But with an alarming rise in COVID-19 cases, subsequent precautions and lockdowns, even though our film is ready for release on 23rd April, we want to extend all the support towards the government rules and regulations and have decided to postpone the release of ‘Thalaivi’,” the statement read.
This isn’t the first Bollywood film that has been hit by the second wave of COVID-19 cases in India. Akshay Kumar’s ‘Sooryavanshi’, which was slated to release on April 30, after a year-long delay, has also been postponed indefinitely, especially since the film’s lead stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif have also tested positive for COVID-19.
Other movies that have stalled their release is Yash Raj Films’ ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’ and the Hindi version of ‘Haathi Mere Saathi’.
Bollywood has been swept up in the COVID-19 spike, with stars such as Aamir Khan, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar, Fatima Sana Shaikh testing positive in recent weeks.