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Celluloid 2021: Movies that were delayed in 2020 but will release next year

Online Desk

Cinema lovers were expecting a lot of movies slated to release in 2020. However, with the pandemic bringing the lockdown on theatres, film buffs have seen nothing but gloom this year.

Despite a lot of producers and filmmakers opting for OTT releases for their movies, most of them haven’t lived up to the audiences’ expectations. Even after theatres reopening globally since June, moviegoers have been skeptical of the chances of them contracting the virus, and hence, movies that were released fared badly at the box-office.

Here is a list of movies that seem to have opted for a safer route via a delayed theatrical release:

MASTER (Tamil): The movie starring Vijay was recently certified U/A by the CBFC. Vijay fans are upset as the film fell victim to the pandemic. It is said that despite a major OTT platform offering a whooping price to buy the digital streaming rights, the makers decided on a theatre release first. Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, it is all set to release on Pongal 2021.

Starring: Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi, Malavika Mohanan, Andea Jeremiah, Arjun Das

JAGAME THANDHIRAM (Tamil): Slated to release on May 2020, Karthik Subburaj’s action-comedy film had to join the list of delayed releases due to the pandemic and the makers are firm on opting for a theatrical release which might come after Master.

Starring: Dhanush, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Joju George, Kalaiyarasan

COBRA (Tamil): Though the Vikram-starrer supernatural thriller was aiming for a May 2020 release, the movie still had 25 per cent of production work left when the pandemic struck. The shooting has resumed this month, and it is likely to get released in 2021.

Starring: Vikram, Srinidhi Shetty, Irfan Pathan, Miya

SOORYAVANSHI (Hindi): Rohit Shetty’s next outing in his police universe, the cop action movie was all set to release on end-March before the COVID pandemic hit the entertainment business and as a result, the movie may have to wait till March 2021 for a release.

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn, Ranveer Singh, Jackie Shroff

83 (Hindi): Based on the Indian cricket team which won the 1983 Cricket World Cup, the sports drama was initially slated for an April 2020 release, but with COVID playing spoilsport, the Kabir Khan-directorial won’t be hitting theatres till the first quarter of 2021.

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Jiiva, Boman Irani, Pankaj Tripathi, Tahir Bhasin

MARAKKAR: ARABIKADALINTE SIMHAM (Malayalam): Had the COVID outbreak not taken place, Priyadarshan’s multi-starrer historical epic movie was ready to release in March 2020 in 5,000 theatres. Touted to be the most expensive movie made in Malayalam, it is now being planned as a 2021 release.

Starring: Mohanlal, Suniel Shetty, Keerthy Suresh, Prabhu, Arjun, Manju Warrier

ONE (Malayalam): After lockdown halted shooting, this political drama authored by Bobby-Sanjay-will now release next year. Actor Mammootty will play the role of Kadakkal Chandran, who is the chief minister of Kerala.

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RADHE SHYAM (Telugu): After venturing into the action genre for some time, the Krish-directorial would see Prabhas playing ‘a lover boy’ image in this period romance movie. The shooting of the movie was ongoing in Georgia until the pandemic forced the makers to take a break. Shooting resumed in Hyderabad this month and a release seems feasible only for 2021.

Starring: Prabhas, Pooja Hegde, Jayaram, Kunal Roy Kapur, Bhagyasree

VAKEEL SAAB (Telugu): A remake of the 2016 women-centric courtroom drama ‘Pink’, shooting for Pawan Kalyan’s 26th movie was ongoing and producers Boney Kapoor and Dil Raju were aiming for a May 2020 release. However, shooting resumed in Hyderabad in November and a new release date is yet to be announced.

Starring: Pawan Kalyan, Anjali, Niveda Thomas, Prakash Raj

KGF CHAPTER 2 (Kannada): Touted to be one the most awaited movies for the year, the Prashant Neel-directed action thriller was gearing up for a Dussehra 2020 release. However, more than the pandemic, the sudden illness of actor Sanjay Dutt, who plays the main antagonist, thwarted the makers’ plans and now a 2021 release is the only likely option.

Yash (L) and Sanjay Dutt in stills from KGF: Chapter 2

KOTIGOBBA 3 (Kannada): The third installment in Kotigobba-series was all set to hit theatres in April 2020. The film is now expected to hit theatres in 2021 as lead actor Sudeep’s fans were eager to see their hero back on the big screen.

Starring: Sudeep, Madonna Sebastian, P Ravi Shankar, Aftab Shivdasani

NO TIME TO DIE (ENGLISH): The 25th installment in the James Bond series has been long-awaited by fans and was slated to release in April 2020. But following the pandemic outbreak, it was delayed to an October 2020 release. However, after theatres received less footfall after the Unlock, the movie was delayed to April 2021.

Starring: Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch

TOP GUN: MAVERICK (ENGLISH): The sequel to Tom Cruise-starrer ‘Top Gun’ was experiencing delays even before COVID-19 outbreak. The action drama was initially planned as a July 2019 release. However, post-production setbacks resulted in plans for a June 2020 release. The COVID-19 outbreak delayed its release further to July 2021.

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Though cinema-goers have been very eager to watch these movies. As a new strain of the virus is now spreading across the globe, only time will tell whether 2021 will be the year for these movies’ reels to finally reach the big screen.

Source: The New Indian Express