'Bunty Aur Babli 2' release postponed amid surge in COVID-19 cases

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The release of "Bunty Aur Babli 2", the sequel to production house Yash Raj Films' 2005 film, has been pushed due to the rising cases of coronavirus in the country. The film, starring Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Sharvari, was slated to be released on April 23 in theatres but it will now arrive in theatres at a later date. According to a trade source, Aditya Chopra, Chairman and Managing Director of Yash Raj Films (YRF), wants to hold the release of "Bunty Aur Babli 2" so that masses can watch the film in cinema halls at a more opportune time when COVID-19 cases are in control.

"Aditya Chopra is playing the big game of making theatricals make a huge comeback and he is extremely confident that 'Bunty Aur Babli 2' will entertain the whole of India. The film is a popcorn entertainer that the entire family can watch and enjoy.

"He wants to hold the film and not release it at a time when the country is experiencing a huge spike of COVID-19 cases. He wants to keep an eye on the vaccination drive and see how India controls the virus spread in the days to come," the insider said.

Mumbai, home to the Hindi film industry, on Wednesday reported its highest one-day rise in COVID-19 cases so far with 5,185 new infections coming to light, which took the caseload in the country's financial capital to 3,74,611.

Chopra is hopeful that the movie will be able to draw masses to the theatres which will be a boon to the struggling film and exhibition industry, the source added.

"Big films will pull people in the theatre post the pandemic and one needs to be careful about their release dates because films like 'Bunty Aur Babli 2' will greatly contribute towards restarting the industry," the source further stated.

Produced by Chopra, "Bunty Aur Babli 2" is being directed by debutant Varun V Sharma.