After winning acclaim at international film festivals, Vikas Khanna's The Last Color was primed to hit screens in March. Unperturbed that the release of the Neena Gupta-starrer was held off due to the pandemic, the first-time director is now counting the hours to its December 11 release. "We wanted to release it before the year-end," says Khanna of the screen adaptation of his book of the same name. Through the unlikely friendship between a tightrope-walker and a widow, the film challenges the age-old taboos surrounding widows in Varanasi.

Aware that the prevailing situation is not conducive for theatrical outings, Khanna - an award-winning chef - says that the move is driven by reasons that go beyond business. "I understand that the market is different from what it was [before the pandemic]. But it is important that the film enjoys a big-screen release before going the OTT route. I opened a restaurant in the middle of the pandemic because in doing so, I can hire 100 people. People of privilege, who can take a risk, should make such decisions. [Releasing the film] isn't about business; the move will provide employment to a lot of people."