With theatres allowed to operate at 100 per cent capacity, cinephiles have their eyes set on Akshay Kumar’s Sooryavanshi. The Rohit Shetty-directed cop caper, which was originally slated to release in March 2020 and has been patiently awaiting a theatrical run since, is now expected to hit screens over the Holi weekend. This has, in turn, affected the release of another big-budget Kumar-starrer. It is heard that Bellbottom, which was earlier scheduled to open in April 2021, is now eyeing a later date.

“An Akshay film usually translates to big box-office numbers. After the dry spell of the past several months, exhibitors and distributors are relying on tentpole films to bounce back into business. Naturally, they don’t want Sooryavanshi and Bellbottom to come in such close proximity. So, the cop actioner will release first; meanwhile, the makers of Bellbottom are exploring a release window in May or June,” reveals a source.

mid-day reached out to the spokespersons of the two films, who remained unavailable for comment.