Dussehra 2021 was set up for an epic clash at the box office. Two big films were on track for a direct clash on the most auspicious Dussehra release date in theatres. Cut to August – September 2021, and both those biggie films are nowhere in the picture. Instead, a third film has engineered a back-door entry and grabbed the much-in-demand theatrical release date of Dussehra 2021. With no other big releases on the horizon, and audiences ripe for watching a banger of a film on the big screen, this film is now certain to be a hit.
The three films in question are Ajay Devgn‘s ‘Maidaan‘, Junior NTR Ram Charan and S.S.Rajamouli‘s ‘RRR‘, and now, Vishal and Arya’s action entertainer, ‘Enemy’. If you’ve not been living under a rock, you’ll know that Maidaan and RRR were set to clash at the box office, with both films announcing October 13 as their theatrical release dates. Maidaan producer Boney Kapoor had even spoken out against RRR makers, calling them “unethical” for breaking the sanctity of the film industry in the difficult pandemic times. In view of the tough last year for the film industry, everyone expected greater cooperation and symbiosis amongst industry folks. But now, both films are postponed, with no release dates on the horizon for either of them.
A third film, Vishal’s Enemy, co-starring man-of-the-moment Arya, has stepped in to milk the situation to its advantage. The film, directed by Anand Shankar and produced by Vinod Kumar under the banner of Mini Studios, has announced a grand Dussehra release in theatres. The day is also known as Ayudha Pooja down south. Enemy will hit theatres on 14th October. The film stars Vishal, Arya, Mirnalini Ravi, Mamta Mohandas and Prakash Raj in the lead roles. Arya has just had a monstrous hit on Amazon Prime Video in Sarpatta Parambarai. Vishal’s last release, Chakra, did good business in theatres just before the second lockdown.
There is no other big release in sight at that time. The James Bond flick ‘No Time To Die’ and the anti-superhero film ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ both arrive in theatres on 30th September and 1st October respectively. Kangana Ranaut’s ‘Dhaakad’ too releases on 1st October. Secondly, Dussehra is a bigger draw down south than Diwali. The two actors together on screen in Enemy means the film is a surefire hit if released on the auspicious Dusshera holiday. Another advantage is that Enemy will release simultaneously in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi in theatres.
The above argument holds good only if the content of Enemy is good, of course. Also, there might be a wee chance of Salman Khan’s home production, ‘Antim’ choosing Dusshera to release in theatres. But until Antim announces a release date, it’s a clear field for Enemy to gallop as fast and far as they choose.
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