Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken many lives across the globe, the livelihoods of many have also been impacted. The Indian film industry has also borne the brunt – releases delayed, shoots stalled and cinema halls shut. Among the films that have been postponed for release is Major, starring Adivi Sesh, Shobhita Dhulipala, Saiee Manjrekar, Prakash Raj and Revathi.
Adivi, who will portray Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan in the Hindi-Telugu film in addition to writing the script, has opened up about the decision to delay the film’s release. The actor, in an exclusive interview with Times Now, said that they sensed a possibility of the release being postponed at the beginning of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. It wasn’t a sudden decision, he explained, adding that many things were hinting at that development.
“In the beginning of the second wave, we got a hint that there might be a release issue. Because suddenly, each department started to show signs – like the entire team of the VFX company that works for us got COVID. We lost our permissions for some military locations, one by one,” he said, revealing that a total of 10 days of shoot is still left.
“When each branch slowly started giving away, we took the tough decision. It’s more like we were weened into it, it wasn’t sudden. We kept trying to hold on to the idea, kept trying to push it, but it just wasn’t possible,” he said.
The actor-screenwriter also said that most of the film was shot during the first wave, except for when the government-announced restrictions were in place. “We didn’t make a big show of it, we didn’t do a video where we announced that we are shooting. We just went ahead and shot,” he said.
Major was earlier scheduled to release on July 2. The new release date, however, is yet to be announced. Adivi had taken to social media to update fans about the development. “#ReleaseDay of #MajorTheFilm will be my PROUDEST moment. So Let’s celebrate when times get better. Safer. Maamulga undadhu. I Promise #JaiHind. IN THEATERS. Will let you know the date!” read his post.
In a statement over a week ago, the team of Major had shared the news on social media. “We are living in unprecedented times and we hope you are following all the safety protocols and staying safe. Our film Major, which was originally scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on 2nd July, is now being postponed to a later date. We will announce the new release date once things are back to normal. Times are tough but so are we.”
