Big Bollywood films book 2021-22 release calendar as theatres open in Maharashtra

Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan, Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh. Pics/AFP, Yogen Shah

Makers of big-ticket Bollywood films like the Aamir Khan-headlined "Laal Singh Chaddha", Akshay Kumar's "Prithviraj" and "Bachchan Pandey", Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Shamshera" and Ranveer Singh's "83" on Sunday announced fresh theatrical release dates, a day after the Maharashtra government allowed cinema halls to operate from next month. The theatrical date calendar of the Hindi film industry -- which had remained largely vacant, except for a few major releases like Kumar's "BellBottom" in August and Rajkummar Rao's horror comedy "Roohi" in March -- soon appeared to be booking slots for a release one after the other in the day.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said cinema halls and drama theatres in the state will be permitted to operate from October 22 on the condition that they follow all the protocols required to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Within hours, filmmaker Rohit Shetty announced that his much awaited cop action drama "Sooryavanshi" will open worldwide theatrically on Diwali. Starring Kumar, the actioner was one of the first major films which was pushed due to the pandemic, last year. The release announcement for "Sooryavanshi" prompted the makers on Sunday to book the dates of their upcoming films. Aamir's "Laal Singh Chaddha" was moved back from its earlier announced December release to Valentine's Day 2022. The Advait Chandan-directed movie, an official remake of Tom Hanks' 1994 feature "Forrest Gump", was scheduled to be released on Christmas 2021 but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The vacant spot of "Laal Singh Chaddha" was swooped up by Ranveer Singh's much-anticipated cricket drama "83".

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Directed by Kabir Khan, the film is now scheduled to be released theatrically in December in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The movie chronicles Indian cricket men's team's first World Cup win under the captaincy of Kapil Dev in 1983, when they defeated West Indies in the final. The big-budget, multi-starrer movie was one of the first projects which was pushed -- from its original April 2020 release -- due to COVID-19 outbreak. Apart from "83", Singh will also be seen in Yash Raj Films' "Jayeshbhai Jordaar", set for a February 25, 2022 release. Billed as a family entertainer, the Divyang Thakkar directorial is set in Gujarat and features Singh as a man who becomes an unlikely hero. Starting from "Sooryavanshi", Kumar will see at least four films release in theatres within 10 months. Kumar's "Prithviraj" will release on January 21, 2022. Backed by Yash Raj Films, the Chandraprakash Dwivedi directorial features the actor in the title role of the 11th century ruler Prithviraj Chauhan. The film also marks the screen debut of Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar. Next up for Kumar will be the action-comedy "Bachchan Pandey". Backed by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film is scheduled to be released on March 4, 2022. The film features Kumar as a gangster, who aspires to be an actor.

"Bachchan Pandey" also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Kriti Sanon and Arshad Warsi. "Raksha Bandhan" is Kumar's fourth film which has been announced for a theatrical release. Directed by Aanand L Rai, the film will open in theatres on August 11, 2022. The movie also stars Bhumi Pednekar, Sadia Khateeb, Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna and Smrithi Srikanth. Apart from "Prithviraj" and "Jayeshbhai Jordaar", Yash Raj Films will release two more films theatrically -- "Shamshera" and the sequel to the studio's 2005 blockbuster crime comedy, "Bunty Aur Babli 2". "Bunty Aur Babli 2", starring Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Siddhant Chaturvedi and Sharvari, will be released worldwide on November 19. The film has been helmed by Varun V Sharma. Ranbir's "Shamshera", meanwhile, will open in theatres on March 18, 2022. Billed as an "adrenaline pumping entertainer", the Karan Malhotra directorial also stars Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt. Actor Shahid Kapoor's "Jersey", the Hindi remake of the 2019 Telugu blockbuster of the same name, will be released theatrically on December 31. The film, directed by Gowtham Tinnanuri who also helmed the original, was earlier scheduled to release on Diwali.

Filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor's romantic-drama "Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui", featuring Ayushmann Khurrana and Vaani Kapoor, is set to be released this December. "This year is about love, drama and movies. Back to cinemas with #ChandigarhKareAashiqui, releasing on 10th December, 2021," a note from the makers read. The film was earlier scheduled to hit the screens in July. In the film, billed as a "progressive love story",Khurrana will be seen essaying the role of a cross functional athlete. On Sunday, actor Tiger Shroff also announced the release date of his next film "Heropanti 2". The action drama, another film produced by Nadiadwala, will hit the Indian screens on May 6, 2022. "Heropanti 2", a sequel to the 2014 actioner, was earlier scheduled to be released theatrically on December 3.

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