The rapid spread of the coronavirus has hit Bollywood, delaying new releases and jeopardising collections of those in theatres
Radhika Bhirani (HINDUSTAN TIMES; March 14, 2020)

The coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the entertainment industry worldwide. And India, too, has woken up to the threat. First, shooting schedules were disrupted, then came news that theatres in Delhi, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir have been shut till March 31. Now, the Akshay Kumar-starrer Sooryavanshi has been postponed from its March 24 release date to “when the time is right”. The actor has tweeted: “Because our safety always, always comes first. Stay safe and take care of yourself.”

Explaining the decision, Shibasish Sarkar, group CEO of the production house says, “We delayed the decision as much as possible. Not that we have any choice.” What about the Ranveer Singh-starrer ’83, another film from the same banner, set for an early April release? Sarkar adds, “We’ll take a call closer to the date. A lot of shoots are also cancelled as foreign technicians aren’t getting visas.” And there’s no word on the much-delayed Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, slated to hit screens on March 20.

Experts say one can’t turn a blind eye to the Delhi market. Trade analyst Girish Johar says it is among the top two markets for the domestic theatrical business, while distributor Joginder Mahajan says it contributes 70% of the revenue from the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh territory. Theatres, he says, will also face the brunt. “But what can one do,” Mahajan rues.

After doing the rounds of film festivals worldwide, Sir, which was coming to India after a long wait, has also been postponed. Shiladitya Bora, who is spearheading its release in the country, says, “A major portion of our revenue collections would have been affected by Delhi theatres’ shutdown, so we decided this will be best.”

The biggest casualty, trade experts believe, will be Angrezi Medium, which audiences were eagerly waiting for due to Irrfan’s return after his illness. Nevertheless, its makers released it as scheduled yesterday, saying it will come in the remaining regions once theatres reopen.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh points out that a chunk of the India business of the recent films, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Thappad, has come from Delhi-NCR. He says, “Indian films are released far and wide, including in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia. The losses won’t just be in India.”

Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor’s Baaghi 3 released on March 6 and only got a week’s window before theatres were shut. But trade expert Komal Nahta says its collections have not been “adversely impacted”.

Meanwhile, theatres are optimistic despite the Covid-19 hiccup. As for the shoots, the Azerbaijan schedule of Salman Khan-Disha Patani’s Radhe was scrapped, as was a schedule of Tamil superstar Vikram’s upcoming Cobra, in Russia. The Spain and Italy shoots of OTT show Made In Heaven 2 has also reportedly been cancelled. A US tour that Hrithik Roshan was to go for, stands postponed too.