With the rise in COVID-19 cases and the threat of the Omicron variant, another big-budget pan-India film has announced that it will be postponing its release indefinitely. Radhe Shyam, directed by Radha Krishna Kumar and starring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde in the lead, was earlier scheduled to hit the big screen on January 14, for Sankranthi. Radhe Shyam was among the most-anticipated releases of 2022, after hitting roadblocks in the past two years due to the pandemic.
Making the announcement, UV Creations, the makers of Radhe Shyam, announced on social media, "We have to postpone the release of our film RadheShyam due to the ongoing COVID situation. Our sincere thanks to all the fans for your unconditional love and support. We will see you in cinemas soon..! (sic)"
The team also said in another post, "We have been trying our best for the past few days, but considering the number of cases of Omicron variant, it looks like, we will have to wait for our labour of love to get to the big screens.. Radhe Shyam is a story about Love vs Destiny. And we are sure that your love will help us rise over these tough times together. Will see you soon in the cinemas."
The makers of Radhe Shyam recently held a grand event in Hyderabad, near Ramoji Film City, and released the trailer of the film in the presence of several renowned directors. Radhe Shyam is a period drama, wherein Prabhas would be seen essaying the role of Vikramaditya, a 'world renowned' palmist in the movie, while Pooja Hegde plays the character of Prerna.
Earlier, SS Rajamouli's magnum opus RRR also had to postpone its release dates due to the spike in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. The film stars Jr NTR, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt and British actor Olivia Morris in the lead. The movie is touted as a fictional tale set in India's pre-independence era, though it is based on the lives of two freedom fighters – Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. Ram Charan will be seen as Alluri Sitarama Raju and Jr NTR will be seen as Komaram Bheem.
According to the Union health ministry data updated on Wednesday, India saw a single-day rise of 58,097 new coronavirus infections, the highest in around 199 days, taking the total tally of cases to 3,50,18,358. The active cases were recorded above 2 lakh after around 81 days, according to the data updated at 8 am.
With PTI inputs