6th July 2023,Mumbai: The year 2023 is shaping up to be quite a significant one for Hindi film. The film industry is on its toes with tenacious resolve, from a range of films attracting consumers back to theatres to ticket pricing techniques being employed as gimmicks.
Perhaps this explains why no one wants to take a chance with their product or even the anticipated release date. Numerous significant events have already been postponed to later dates in the last two months. Why is this ongoing shuffle happening, and what long-term effects will it have on other films previously slated for particular dates?
FILM—ORIGINAL DATE—NEW DATE
Animal – August 11- December 1
Fukrey 3- November 24- December 1
Jawaan- June 2- September 7
Yodha- July 7- December 15
Dream Girl 2- July 7- August 25
Animal, starring Ranbir Kapoor, is one of the most eagerly awaited films of the year. The movie’s release date was changed from August 11 to December 1 despite the pre-teaser being made public. The film’s co-producer, Murad Khetani, explains, “It’s for the same reason that our director expressed in the video that we all posted on social media yesterday. We don’t want to compromise our director’s ultimate goal, but we also want to deliver a fantastic final product to the viewers.”
Two’s a throng, three’s a party: Fukrey 3 and Sam Bahadur by Meghna Gulzar are also scheduled for release on December 1. And the latter’s producer, Ronnie Screwvala, has no intention of changing the date. “Our event was already publicised. The public will judge whether or not the content is successful today; it is not important that it debut on a Friday”, he explains.
Taran Adarsh, a trade expert, anticipates that additional films will be delayed as a result of Animal’s new release date. “Every time a big movie gets pushed back, like Adipurush was at the beginning of the year from January to June, and now Jawaan, all other films lined up for release in the month get automatically pushed back; they have no other choice,” he explains.
According to Khetani, the business has only just begun to recover from the Covid epidemic, and more changes are unavoidable. “The after effects are still a significant determinant of a movie’s release. The need to complete the film to a given standard, whether in post-production, sound, or visual effects, is the other problem that filmmakers face. Thus, a lot of dates have moved in this year and I’m sure that’s going to be the case for many movies still.”
How do theatres handle this date change given that they must adjust the showtimes for many films? Such fluctuations, according to a multiplex spokesperson, show that there is a good supply of content available in sufficient quantities. Instead of being forced to make a decision, it enables spectators to take in a greater variety of films over a longer period of time. It enables a larger audience to experience a film. In a way, this is advantageous for both the business and the consumer, he argues, declining to be identified. But Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir Cinema, echoes a sharp contrast: “Humein bauhaut takleef hoti hai, jab release dates change hoti hain. We don’t have any other films then at that moment to screen when something gets postponed.”
-by Kashvi Gala