From ‘83’ To ‘Jersey’- All Films That Announced Theatrical Releases After Maha Govt's Decision To Reopen Cinemas

The theatrical date calendar of the Hindi film industry was booking slots for a release one after the other, over the weekend, ever since Maharashtra government announced its decision to reopen theatres f in the state on October 22.

Outlook Web Bureau

Updated on: 27 September 2021 10:16 am

A slew of theatrical releases were announced in Bollywood over the weekend, following Maharashtra government’s announcement to reopen theatres in the state on October 22.

Makers of big-ticket Bollywood films like the Aamir Khan-headlined ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, Akshay Kumar's ‘Prithviraj’ and ‘Bachchan Pandey’, Ranbir Kapoor-starrer ‘Shamshera’ and Ranveer Singh's ‘83’ on Sunday announced fresh theatrical release dates, a day after the Maharashtra government allowed cinema halls to operate from next month.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said cinema halls and drama theatres in the state will be permitted to operate on the condition that they follow all the protocols required to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Within hours of that announcement, filmmaker Rohit Shetty became the first to announce that his much-awaited cop action-drama ‘Sooryavanshi’, starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, will open worldwide theatrically on Diwali.

The theatrical date calendar of the Hindi film industry -- which had remained largely vacant, except for a few major releases like Kumar's ‘BellBottom’ in August and Rajkummar Rao's horror comedy ‘Roohi’ in March, soon appeared to be booking slots for a release one after the other in the day.

Aamir Khan's ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ was moved back from its earlier announced December release to Valentine's Day 2022. The Advait Chandan-directed movie, an official remake of Tom Hanks' 1994 feature ‘Forrest Gump’, was scheduled to be released on Christmas 2021 but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The vacant spot of ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ was swooped up by Ranveer Singh's much-anticipated cricket drama ‘83’. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film is now scheduled to be released theatrically in December in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

The movie chronicles Indian cricket men's team's first World Cup win under the captaincy of Kapil Dev in 1983, when they defeated West Indies in the final. The big-budget, multi-starrer movie was one of the first projects which was pushed -- from its original April 2020 release -- due to COVID-19 outbreak.

Apart from ‘83’, Singh will also be seen in Yash Raj Films' ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’, set for a February 25, 2022 release. Billed as a family entertainer, the Divyang Thakkar directorial is set in Gujarat and features Singh as a man who becomes an unlikely hero.

Meanwhile, after ‘Sooryavanshi’, Akshay Kumar-led ‘Prithviraj’ will release on January 21, 2022. Backed by Yash Raj Films, the Chandraprakash Dwivedi directorial features the actor in the title role of the 11th century ruler Prithviraj Chauhan. The film also marks the screen debut of Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar.

Next up for Kumar will be the action-comedy ‘Bachchan Pandey’. Backed by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film is scheduled to be released on March 4, 2022. The film features Kumar as a gangster, who aspires to be an actor. ‘Bachchan Pandey’ also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Kriti Sanon and Arshad Warsi.

Apart from ‘Prithviraj’ and ‘Jayeshbhai Jordaar’, Yash Raj Films will release two more films theatrically – ‘Shamshera’ and the sequel to the studio's 2005 blockbuster crime comedy, ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’. ‘Bunty Aur Babli 2’, starring Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Sharvari, will be released worldwide on November 19. The film has been helmed by Varun V Sharma.

Ranbir Kapoor's ‘Shamshera’, meanwhile, will open in theatres on March 18, 2022. Billed as an "adrenaline pumping entertainer", the Karan Malhotra directorial also stars Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt.

Actor Shahid Kapoor's ‘Jersey’, the Hindi remake of the 2019 Telugu blockbuster of the same name, will be released theatrically on December 31. The film, directed by Gowtham Tinnanuri who also helmed the original, was earlier scheduled to release on Diwali.

On Sunday, actor Tiger Shroff also announced the release date of his next film ‘Heropanti 2’. The action drama, another film produced by Nadiadwala, will hit the Indian screens on May 6, 2022. ‘Heropanti 2’, a sequel to the 2014 actioner, was earlier scheduled to be released theatrically on December 3.

(With Inputs From PTI)