Five much-awaited upcoming films put on hold due to sharp rise in COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 cases are increasing rapidly in India. The fear of another lockdown is hovering over many industries. The film industry is also in the cloud of doubt. The producers of big blockbusters were worried regarding the box office performance of their films. That’s why the release of the five much-awaited films have been put on hold by their respective producers.

Delhi, Haryana, and Bihar already ordered a shutdown over theatres. Tamil Nadu is on the way to imposing strict measures. Meanwhile, other states’ theatres are operating at 50% occupancy. And when you have a sure-shot blockbuster, you wouldn’t want it to release in times like these. Here’re the top 5 much-anticipated upcoming films put on hold due to the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases.

1. Jersey

Shahid Kapoor’s Jersey was scheduled to release on 31st December, 2021. However, the film got postponed at the last moment due to rising COVID-19 cases. Jersey, also starring Mrunal Thakur and Pankaj Kapur in significant roles, is the official remake of the successful Telugu film of the same name.

2. RRR

Unarguably the biggest Indian motion picture of 2022, RRR was set to hit the marquee on January 7. The pan-India SS Rajamouli magnum opus was waiting for a theatrical release for over a year, but the wait seems to have gotten a little longer as its release has been stalled due to coronavirus and theatres shutting down in many parts of the country again. The big-ticket period drama stars Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, and Alia Bhatt in lead roles.

3. Valimai

Originally made in Tamil, Ajith Kumar’s Valimai was supposed to release on January 13 in multiple languages, and producer Boney Kapoor was firm on his decision to release the film on schedule. However, he too had to postpone the film due to increasing infection numbers.

4. Radhe Shyam

Starring Prabhas and Pooja Hedge in leading roles, Radhe Shyam was set to release on the 14th of this month. However, the makers had to push the film’s release indefinitely in the wake of the sudden rise in coronavirus cases across the country. The pan-India film has been directed by Radha Krishna Kumar.

Prithviraj

Starring Akshay Kumar in the lead role and Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar as his love interest, historical drama Prithviraj was slated to arrive in cinemas on 21st January but the film got delayed due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. Chhillar is debuting in Bollywood with the Chandraprakash Dwivedi directorial.

Surely, the postponement of these blockbuster films is sad news for fans. But the delay in the release will increase the audience's curiosity more in these films and they may enjoy them even more when the situation becomes better and these films find their way into cinemas.