By: Mohnish Singh
Ever since the Coronavirus pandemic hit the whole world and theatres shut their doors temporarily for the audience, several Indian filmmakers have opted for the digital route to premiere their ready-to-release films.
However, two prominent production houses in Bollywood stayed away from releasing their films on any digital media platforms and are waiting for the situation to get normal before announcing their upcoming slate. We are talking about Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment and Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films.
Though both the leading filmmakers have not openly expressed their views on the issue of digital vs theatrical release, sources close to them reveal that the duo would not budge from their viewpoint.
“Sajid Nadiadwala feels he makes films for the big screen. His last production Baaghi 3 (2020), which reached the big screen just before movie theatres downed their shutters, was a big success in spite of the virus threat. Sajid feels that to be a sign of how devoted his audience is to the large-screen experience,” says a friend of the producer.
The YRF head honcho Aditya Chopra is also maintaining a safe distance from digital releases. A source in the know informs the same publication, “As of now, no pending or underproduction film of Yash Raj Films is going to the digital platform.”
Though theatres in India have resumed operations, a number of high-profile films are still gearing up for their premiere on online streaming platforms, including Akshay Kumar’s Laxmmi Bomb, Ajay Devgn’s Bhuj: The Pride of India, and Varun Dhawan’s Coolie No 1. Filmmaker Anurag Basu’s much-awaited anthology film Ludo, starring Abhishek A Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Pankaj Tripathi, is also set to premiere on 12th November on Netflix, coinciding with Diwali.
Keep visiting this space for more updates from the world of entertainment.
