EXCLUSIVE: Most anticipated films of Bollywood that got pushed ahead due to Omicron

Vidya January 14, 2022Last Updated: January 14, 2022

Ambitious Bollywood filmmakers had a lot of optimism for the year 2022. Several big-budget films, like SS Rajamouli’s historical epic ‘RRR’ and Akshay Kumar’s ‘Prithviraj,’ were expected to blow up the box office worldwide. However, the threat of a new COVID-19 variation, Omicron, has put a damper on things. This year, some of the most anticipated and big-budget films, like ‘Brahmastra,’ ‘RRR,’ ‘Laal Singh Chaddha,’ ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, and others, are slated to enter theaters. However, a number of projects have been pushed on the back burner after being heavily promoted, and have since been shelved for a variety of reasons.

Here’s a list of Bollywood films that have experienced difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Inshallah:

‘Inshallah,’ directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, was meant to be the first film to bring Salman Khan and Alia Bhatt together. The film’s release date has been planned for Eid 2020. Salman, on the other hand, tweeted just three days before the film’s start date that it had been postponed indefinitely. Despite reports of a rivalry between Salman and Bhansali, there has been no official explanation offered for the film’s cancellation. Salman and Pooja Hegde declared ‘Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali,’ but SLB went on and made ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi,’ starring Alia.

RRR:

Despite the fact that ‘RRR’ promotions were in full swing, the producers were forced to make a difficult decision earlier this week. The makers claimed in a statement that they were ‘left with no option’ after many Indian states implemented new limitations to combat the COVID-19 outbreak. The filmmakers issued a sincere statement explaining their choice.

Jersey:

Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur’s latest film set against the backdrop of cricket and a fading sportsman with a tumultuous family life, was slated to be the final release of 2021. Even though advance bookings for the December 30th release had begun in UAE cinemas, the producers decided to postpone the release when they learned that states in India, such as Delhi, which were important markets for Bollywood film revenue, were planning to impose severe restrictions due to COVID-19 spike concerns. Phars Films, the local distributor, stated to Gulf News at the time that ‘Jersey’s’ release date had been pushed back, but that no new date had been determined.

Prithviraj:

This is the latest epic opus starring Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chhillar, which will skip its January 21, 2022 release date. One of the most anticipated films of the year was the historical drama based on the life of warrior Samrat Prithviraj Chauhan, which starred Kumar in the lead role. The producers of ‘Prithviraj’ are eager to see how things proceed on the pandemic front in India and throughout the world, much like other filmmakers who have chosen to wait and see. A rise of Covid-19 cases in India has resulted in the closing of cinema houses in certain Indian states. As a result, the majority of producers are now taking a cautious approach.

Gehraiyaan:

Deepika Padukone’s upcoming film, Gehraiyaan, has also been pushed ahead. This film, directed by Shakun Batra, was supposed to be out this month, but it has been pushed back until February 11.