Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi-led Chehre was slated to hit the marquee on April 9. However, with Maharashtra reporting 31,000-plus fresh Coronavirus cases on Monday and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray indicating a second lockdown by the weekend, producer Anand Pandit has deferred the mystery thriller’s release. The producer says the decision felt right given that theatres are likely to be shut in the second round of lockdown. 

“I have always lived by the maxim of ‘safety first’. Given the rising number of cases, it is only right that we delay the release of Chehre. The minute we see the cases dipping, we will take a call on the release date,” says Pandit.

Considering the Rumy Jafry-directed venture has already been delayed by a year, is he contemplating a digital premiere in light of the recent developments? “At this point, we are not looking at an OTT [premiere]. Amit ji and Emraan applauded my decision to postpone the release. We are on the same page when it comes to audience safety. Amit ji said that viewers must enjoy the film without any fear.”

April has two big-ticket offerings in Kangana Ranaut-led biopic on J Jayalalithaa, Thalaivi, and Akshay Kumar’s cop drama Sooryavanshi. If the imminent lockdown in Maharashtra runs till April-end, it will directly impact the fate of the two films. A trade source reveals, “The makers of Thalaivi will stick to the April 23 date because the cases are under control in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which are big markets for the trilingual. The team of Sooryavanshi is waiting it out and will take a call only by mid-April.” 

Thalaivi producer Shaailesh R Singh declined to comment. Shibasish Sarkar of Reliance Entertainment, which is backing Sooryavanshi, remained unavailable.