Historically, Diwali has been the most-sought-after period for Bollywood releases. This year, there is no clarity yet on theatres reopening but multiple Hindi films are still lined up to hit the OTT as well as silver-screens around the festival of lights.

To start with Akshay Kumar-starrer Laxmmi Bomb is set to stream on an OTT platform on November 9. Then, Varun Dhawan-Sara Ali Khan starrer Coolie No 1 is likely to hit an OTT portal on November 13, while Bhuj: The Pride of India, starring Ajay Devgn, may stream later in the month of November. Plus, Akshay-starrer Sooryavanshi is also slated to release in theatres on Diwali, if they reopen by then.

“No one needs to explain that Diwali is the most lucrative period for film business. People are usually in great mood. Plus, OTT platforms aren’t bound by the box office problems (of multiple films, clashes and all), so there can be several new movies,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Interestingly, Indian Premier League is kicking off today in the UAE, and experts feel it could be one of the reasons why filmmakers may wait till Diwali, when the league gets over. As per an estimate, the viewership for IPL 2020 is expected to be a whopping 550 million+ in India.

“Yes, it’s true that filmmakers would ideally want to avoid clashing with IPL as it’s a hugely popular property, and people are going to watch it in huge numbers,” says exhibitor-distribitor Akshaye Rathi.

When Akshay Kumar announced the streaming date of Laxmmi Bomb, many in the industry as well as trade insiders were in a “bit of a fix”. The reason being: his film Sooryavanshi, which has been waiting in the wings to release in theatres, is also supposed to hit the silver-screens on Diwali. “I don’t know how it’s going to work out. Will there be Akshay vs Akshay? How will makers tackle the situation, or are they fine with it? It will be quite a peculiar situation if theatres reopen and Reliance (producers of Sooryavanshi) also stick to their release date. Let’s see,” says Adarsh.