Bollywood has gone berserk all of a sudden. It might sound harsh, but what else will you call the sudden spate of Hindi films all deciding to release in theatres in December!
This morning came news of Ranbir Kapoor’s much-awaited starrer ‘Animal’ announcing its new release date in theatres – 1st December, 2023. The makers of Animal chose 1st December as their release date, despite the fact that the said date had already been booked by another much-awaited though lesser-hyped film, Sam Bahadur. The latter film stars Vicky Kaushal as real-life Indian Army hero Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw.
But this is not all. Within minutes of ‘Animal’ director Sandeep Reddy Vanga announcing the new release date of his film, biggie Dharma Productions took to social media to make its own announcement. And it is the new release date for Karan Johar’s upcoming film ‘Yodha’, starring Sidharth Malhotra. The film will hit theatres on 15th December, 2023 – yes, another much-awaited film in already overcrowded December!
Film enthusiasts will already be aware of the fact that Shahid Kapoor’s ‘An Impossible Love Story’ and Shahrukh Khan starrer Dunki are also arriving in theatres in December 2023 – the former on 7th December, and the latter on 22nd December, as a Christmas release.
This makes it a total of five big Bollywood films releasing in theatres in December, on consecutive Fridays, and what’s more, two on the same Friday! Here are all of them –
1st Dec – Animal
1st Dec – Sam Bahadur
7th Dec – An Impossible Love Story
15th Dec – Yodha
22nd Dec – Dunki
It’s a fact that Bollywood has been the most hit by the post-Covid slowdown in the Indian film industry. Hindi films are flopping left, right and center, and even the ones that get appreciation do not bring in box office numbers like in the pre-Covid days.
One would think that given the terrible financial state of the Hindi film industry, filmmakers would exercise caution and put more thought into choosing the right time to release their films. One Hindi film every week in December is not going to serve any film well in the long run. No film will get the advantage of an extended run at the box office, except for Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki, which is anyways expected to do well, given the coming together of legendary director Rajkumar Hirani and superstar Shah Rukh Khan for the first time ever.
In view of the tough period for the Hindi film industry, one expects greater cooperation and symbiosis amongst industry folks. This December tussle between five much-awaited films is shocking, to say the least. Filmmakers must be more considerate and bat for industry brotherhood, rather than pushing their own agenda, is what we feel.
Unless they’re truly exceptional films, Sam Bahadur and An Impossible Love Story are in real danger of falling by the wayside in the wake of the ‘Animal’ blitz. Yodha might get just a decent one week of exclusive eyeballs, before Dunki hits theatres.
Of course, how good or bad each film is will decide their final verdict. Until then, good luck to Bollywood, and the strange games they play!
We’re hiring!
We are hiring two full-time junior to mid-level writers with the option to work remotely. You need to work a 5-hour shift and be available to write. Interested candidates should email their sample articles to [email protected]. Applications without a sample article will not be considered.
