Kangana Ranaut’s ambitious ‘Thalaivii‘ is just a week away from its pan-India, theatrical release on 10th September, Ganesh Chaturthi and the film’s promotions are in full swing. The latest song, ‘Nain Bandhe Naino Se‘s teaser just dropped today, delightfully showcasing her dancing skills, which have been praised to the moon by netizens. With this positive news on one side, comes another moment in distress for leading lady Kangana and the makers of ‘Thalaivii’.
It was reported just yesterday that the makers had resolved their differences with theatre associations and locked the film’s OTT release as well, four weeks after the theatrical release. The Hindi version has a shorter theatrical window of two weeks though, post which it will stream on both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. This was when multiplex chains Inox and PVR were threatening not to screen the movie, though the issues were said to be resolved and ‘Thalaivii’ was looking at a smooth release. However, just earlier today, Kangana Ranaut took to Instagram, to share a post saying that despite a four week theatrical window, some southern multiplex associations are threatening not to screen the film.
In her post, Kangana lauded the makers for their brave decision of releasing the film in theatres, despite the uncertainty surrounding the medium. What is appalling is that theatre associations are choosing to act this way, despite the very few movies releasing theatrically in the first place! A four week window given to theatres is sufficient in itself and should be treated as a generous offer, especially when filmmakers are receiving huge offers from all major OTT platforms. It is the primary right of all those involved to safeguard their interests and make profits, that makes this behavior unacceptable in times like these.
Producer Vishnu Vardhan Induri explaining the chosen business model for ‘Thalaivii’ had earlier said, “In times like these, box office collections can’t be taken as the benchmark for success; the only criteria should be the recovery of investment and making sure that the film is showcased to a large audience. The industry is going through a tough time and we can’t judge anyone for their decision. ‘Thalaivii’ is made for the big screens and we want to showcase our film in theatres first, but at the same time we definitely want to safeguard our investment through the non-theatrical deals”
With even the much-hyped Akshay Kumar entertainer ‘Bell Bottom’ unable to do the numbers, is it not understandable for filmmakers to be nervous and look to protect their investments? In such testing times, when the film fraternity must unite and look out for one another, can this bullying and arm-twisting be justified? Kangana’s post is a desperate cry for help and an attempt to ensure her film’s smooth release. Getting a ‘U’ certification from the censor board will certainly help the scene, but the makers are still waiting with bated breath for theatres in Maharashtra to reopen. ‘Thalaivii’ will still face stiff competition in Tamil Nadu though, from Vijay Sethupathi starrer ‘Laabam’, set to release in theatres just a day prior, on 9th September.
For those unversed, ‘Thalaivii’, directed by A L Vijay, is a biopic on late actress-turned-politician Jayalalithaa and a multi-lingual film to be released simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Besides Kangana Ranaut, the film also stars Arvind Swami as MGR, Madhoo and Bhagyashree in pivotal roles.