Upala KBR (MID-DAY; October 26, 2017)

You may find yourself negotiating Ranveer Singh's mighty sword when you turn up to watch Padmavati in theatres, given that the period drama is set to release in 3D. The buzz is that the suggestion came from Hollywood's Paramount Pictures, which is backing Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus. A source tells mid-day, "The executives were excited after watching the trailer. They told producers Viacom18 that the film must be seen in 3D for viewers to enjoy the filmmaker's vision. Bhansali was on board too. In Padmavati, the audiences will experience the battles fought in 3D."

Being mounted on an approximate budget of Rs 170 crore, this decision would make the film a bigger draw and increase its prospects at the box-office, the source suggests.

According to the source, the unit will announce the news with an extensive marketing campaign on October 30. "Until then, everything is being kept under wraps. Given that time is a constraint, ahead of the film's December 1 release, a team of Hollywood technicians are working on making it suitable for a 3D outing, as the patchwork continues in Mumbai, simultaneously."

While Bhansali's movies boast of magnificence, Padmavati, also featuring Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor, will be the first to enjoy a 3D release, along with a 2D screening. Paramount will release the film in 100 countries. It will also be dubbed in Tamil and Telegu to appeal to a pan-India audience.