Akshay Kumar finally made the big reveal - Rohit Shetty's cop drama will release on Diwali this year, he shared on social media on Saturday. Akshay Kumar's announcement followed Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's statement that all cinema halls in Maharashtra will be allowed to open after October 22. Sharing a behind-the-scenes moment from the sets of Sooryavanshi, Akshay Kumar wrote: "So many families would be thanking Shri Uddhav Thackeray today! Grateful for allowing the reopening of cinema halls in Maharashtra from October 22. Ab kisi ke roke na rukegi - aa rahi hai police (There's no stopping now. The police are coming). Diwali 2021."
Directed by Rohit Shetty, Sooryavanshi stars Akshay Kumar in the titular role while Katrina Kaif plays his love interest. Actors Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh, who have starred in the director's cop films before, will make special appearances in the movie.
Sooryavanshi is among the movies, which have opted for a theatrical release instead of digital streaming, and hence been rescheduled several times owing to the pandemic situation. In 2020, shoots and productions were halted in mid-March due to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in the months of October and November, shooting schedules were allowed to resume. AS the second wave of the pandemic hit the country in April, a lockdown was imposed yet again, leaving distributors and cinemas affected. As lockdown restrictions began to ease, several states allowed cinema halls to operate. But Maharashtra, a key hub for Bollywood movies, continued the shut-down on cinemas until the recent announcement.
Sooryavanshi was initially expected to open in cinemas on March 24 last year - the film's release date was later pushed to Diwali last year. Sooryavanshi was yet again rescheduled to open in cinemas on April 30 this year and now, Diwali 2021 appears to be the final release date. With its Diwali release, Sooryavanshi will have a box office collision with Marvel Studios' Eternals, which is slated to release on November 5. Sooryavanshi will mark Bollywood's first big budget film to open in cinemas since the lockdown.