Trade sources reveal Prabhas’s multi-lingual action thriller might be delayed by a few weeks averting a three-film clash at the box-office
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 18, 2019)

The three-way clash of the Titans—Akshay Kumar’s Mission Mangal, John Abraham’s Batla House and Prabhas’s Saaho had made Independence Day the most crowded release date of the year. When the dates were blocked, the industry was confident one of the three will back off but their teasers confirmed an August 15 opening. Now, there is strong buzz in the trade that Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor’s action thriller has got pushed by a few weeks.

“The team is yet to lock the final edit. The visual effects to enhance the action scenes is complicated and taking longer than expected. The producers are now contemplating pushing the release to August 30 or September 6 if they don’t make the deadline. The final call will be taken only once they get a confirmed date of completion from the VFX company,” revealed a source.

Raj Bansal, a distributor from Rajasthan confirms this, saying exhibitors have been hearing rumours of Saaho being delayed since Tuesday night. “Though an official announcement is yet to be made, we are almost sure that the film won’t be arriving on August 15, leaving Mission Mangal and Batla House to fight it out,” Bansal asserts.

Vishek Chauhan, a Bihar-based exhibitor, echoes this. “A revised release will give Saaho a clear window to unleash its full potential. Though industry circles have confirmed the delay, I’m waiting to hear it officially,” he says.

On Tuesday, two Telugu films— Evaru and Ranarangam which were slated to release on August 23 and August 2 respectively—announced an I-Day release, adding fuel to fire. “No one from Telugu cinema would be willing to risk a clash with Prabhas after Baahubali. The announcement is a further signal that Saaho could indeed be pushed,” Bansal reasons.

However, a source close to the film informs, “From the very first communication we put out, we had August 15 in our mind as the release date. We’re steady and as of now aiming for the same date”.