Salman Khan wrapped up the shoot of Antim: The Final Truth in February, eight months ahead of its originally planned October release. But now, a long wait lies ahead of Khan before the Hindi adaptation of the Marathi hit, Mulshi Pattern (2018), can enjoy a theatrical run. It is heard that the release of the Mahesh Manjrekar-directed film has been deferred due to the prevailing situation. The superstar-director duo intended to kick off the promotions with the launch of two posters, which has been held off.

“Salman is emotionally invested in Antim as it’s an important film for brother-in-law Aayush Sharma, who plays the gangster to the superstar’s Sikh cop. While a teaser and Aayush’s look were unveiled in February, the makers were about to launch the first poster in March-end, announcing its October release. However, with the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic taking over the country, they thought it best to wait it out,” reveals a source from the creative team.

With the situation turning grimmer in the following weeks and a possible third wave on the horizon, the team unanimously decided to go slow. Add to that, the superstar had mentioned at the onset that he wanted a sufficient gap between Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai and Antim. The source adds, “It would’ve been foolish to promote another Salman film, weeks before Radhe’s release or after it. Plus, the actor and director are eyeing a theatrical run, but there are too many films awaiting their turn at the marquee. So, an October release looks unlikely at the moment.”

For now, Manjrekar is supervising the editing and post-production from home. He says, “We were to do [a launch] in March, and our posters were ready. But we cannot go ahead now as we don’t know what the future holds. I don’t think theatres will open in October.”