The coronavirus outbreak has been declared as a Public Health Emergency by the World Health Organisation and with at least 52 confirmed cases in India, the business of Bollywood films is expected to take a hit in the coming days as well. Two big-budget films which are lined up for release in the next one month – Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi and Kabir Khan’s 83 – might be pushed because of the coronavirus scare.
Shibashish Sarkar, Group CEO of Reliance Entertainment, told SpotboyE in an interview that as of now, Sooryavanshi and 83 will hit the screens on the scheduled dates. However, if the situation does not get any better, their release might be delayed.
“No decision taken yet. We are talking daily but as of now, things stand as is – that is the films will release on their original dates. If at all we need to look at a change, we will do so closer to the delivery,” Sarkar told the website. He added that the producers were “not in denial mode” and said, “Definitely we are thinking about it, the entire world is – be it any event, party or any gathering, everyone is thinking twice about organising it.”
Sooryavanshi, which stars Akshay Kumar as the chief of the Anti-Terror squad, is scheduled to open in theatres on March 24. The action drama also features Katrina Kaif, Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh in pivotal roles. 83, starring Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Saqib Saleem, among others, is slated for an April 10 release.Last week’s release Baaghi 3, starring Tiger Shroff, Shraddha Kapoor and Riteish Deshmukh, is witnessing a fantastic run at the box office despite the coronavirus scare. In five days, the action thriller directed by Ahmed Khan earned Rs 76.94 crore at the box office, with the Holi holiday boosting the business in a big way.
Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus have increased from last week and touched 52 in India. Kerala has gone into partial shutdown, with restrictions being imposed on public gatherings and educational institutions remaining closed till March 31.