EXCLUSIVE: Here’s why SS Rajamouli’s RRR shifted from March 18; It has a Puneeth Rajkumar connect
Puneeth Rajkumar's James is slated to release on March 17.
On Monday afternoon, SS Rajamouli announced that his period drama, RRR, will hit the big screen on March 25, stepping aside from the already announced date of March 18. While the announcement came across as a surprise to the industry, we reached out to our sources to find out about the reason for this delay in release. A source close to the banner informed that SS Rajamouli along with Jr. NTR, Ram Charan and the producers of RRR took this decision as a mark of respect to Kannada superstar, late Puneeth Rajkumar.
“His last film, James, is slated to release on March 17. While the distributors in Karnataka were already having mega plans to celebrate power star’s last film, SS Rajamouli and co. on their own will decided to delay their magnum opus by a week. It’s their tribute to the legendary actor,” revealed a source close to the development, adding further that James is sure to be the first choice for the audience, exhibitors and distributors during the Holi weekend.
“Karnataka is a major market for SS Rajamouli films too. Bahubali 2 had clocked Rs 15 crore on it’s opening day, and RRR too is aiming for big returns from Karnataka,” the source added. Meanwhile, the delay in release of RRR has also resulted in Hindi films getting a clear window. Akshay Kumar’s entertainer, Bachchan Pandey, will now get a solo release during the Holi 2022 weekend.
RRR confirming their arrival has also put the Telugu release calendar in motion. While Radhe Shyam is slated to release on March 11, Bheemla Nayak might be releasing on either February 25 or April 1. Acharya on the other hand is confirmed for April 29 opening. Both James and RRR are expected to set the box office on fire in Karnataka, which means, there are going to be fireworks at the box office on March 17 and 25 with the arrival of the two biggies. James is expected to set all time opening and lifetime records in the state, with fans giving a perfect farewell to their powerstar.
ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: Hrithik Roshan to join Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in Spy Universe after War 2