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. 

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; March 11, 2020)

Only last week, the makers of No Time To Die announced that the film's release was being pushed from April 10 to November, in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak. Like James Bond, the bigwigs of Bollywood too are apparently rethinking the release dates of upcoming films — including Sooryavanshi and 83 — to avoid losses.

mid-day has learnt that Akshay Kumar, filmmaker Rohit Shetty and the head honchos of Reliance Entertainment are expected to meet later this week to decide if the release of Sooryavanshi, that was to hit the marquee on March 24, should be postponed. A source informs, "Rohit Shetty's last offering, Simmba, had opened at approximately Rs 20.7 crore. But the tracking shows that Sooryavanshi may open at a lower figure. It is obvious that the projection has dipped due to the ongoing COVID-19 scare. More importantly, Maharashtra is an important centre for Hindi films, and with new cases in Nashik and Pune, the footfalls are bound to drop in the coming days. So, they are toying with the idea of delaying the release by a few weeks."

With 12 coronavirus cases in Kerala, the government has announced that theatres across the state will remain shut until March 31. If the move is replicated in other states, more and more films will have to rework their release dates. Sources suggest that Ranveer Singh's '83 is already looking at an alternative. "The trailer launch, which was originally scheduled to take place today, has been moved to a later date. It's possible that '83 will release post IPL in the first week of June. Karan Johar's production Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl too may be pushed from its April 24 date."

Trade analyst Amod Mehra believes that the possible postponing of films may have an adverse effect on theatres. "Rumours are rife that both Sooryavanshi and '83 will be pushed ahead. Right now, it's a wait-and-watch scenario. If they are indeed delayed, the theatres will be affected; the movies won't suffer."

Dharma Productions, Reliance Entertainment, Kabir Khan and Rohit Shetty refused to comment for this report.