On 2 March 2020, the trailer of the Akshay Kumar – Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Sooryavanshi’ dropped on the internet. At 4 minute and 15 seconds, the trailer of the Rohit Shetty directed action drama was long but engaging at the same time. It gave the audience a good idea about the story arc of the film and prepared them for the kind of content they should expect from this film which marks the first collaboration between Kumar and Shetty.
The film was all set to release on March 24, 2020 but today, 5th November 2021, is when it finally opens in theatres across the globe. The Covid-19 situation resulted in the film getting a release 18 months after it was scheduled to arrive in theatres. It must be noted that there was a plan to release the film on April 30 this year but the release was deferred again owing to the restrictions put in place to control the spread of the virus in several states.
The film had to face certain last-minute roadblocks too. Three prominent multiplex chains didn’t start accepting advance bookings for the film owing to a toff they had with the producers with the film. The makers were asking for a higher distribution share and the multiplexes were not willing to comply. After a lot of deliberation, the two parties finally arrived on an agreement and advance bookings commenced.
Around two months back, Akshay Kumar’s ‘Bell Bottom’ had a theatrical release and the film put up a very poor show at the box-office. As the film opens in theatres today, the expectations are high. While a good number of films have released in theatres in the last couple of months, ‘Sooryavanshi’ is the biggest theatrical release in the last 18 months. The first-day figures will give an indication about whether the audience, in a post-pandemic world, is willing to come back to the theatres.