Sonakshi Sinha’s much-awaited thriller Nikita Roy will no longer hit theatres on its initially scheduled release date. The film was set to release on June 27. The makers have now decided to postpone the release to avoid a box office clash with two other major films — Kajol’s supernatural horror Maa and Akshay Kumar’s mythological epic Kannappa.
The makers took to their Instagram handle and shared the announcement, “Hi guys! We have found ourselves in the midst of multiple releases and a battle for screens… with advice from our well wishers in the fraternity, distributors and exhibitors we have collectively decided to push our release to the 18th of July, so that we can reach a wider audience. Thank you for the immense love you have shown for the film so far, but you’ll have to wait a little longer, and we promise you, 18th July will be worth the wait! See you in the theatres!”
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Directed by Kussh S Sinha and written by Pavan Kirpalan, the film also features Paresh Rawal and Suhail Nayyar in key roles. Nikita Roy explores the fragile boundary between perception and reality, unravelling themes of paranoia, buried truths and the human mind’s darker recesses. The film’s trailer begins with Sonakshi Sinha entering a creepy house in the woods at night, where she faces supernatural things. Paresh Rawal plays a fake spiritual leader who manipulates people and Sonakshi’s character is determined to reveal his real truth within a week. She teams up with Arjun Rampal’s character to solve a series of murders.
Talking of Kannappa, the film is also set to release on June 27. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has approved the Telugu film Kannappa with a U/A 13+ certificate. Notably, it was the Revising Committee (RC) that passed the film after the Examining Committee (EC) raised objections, prompting its referral to the RC. The RC approved the film but requested several cuts.
They instructed the filmmakers to delete and alter certain visuals involving blood, dead bodies, decapitations, and close-ups of arrow piercings. A 4-second shot of a sunset silhouette was also removed. The cut list indicated the removal of visuals with yellow-red colour, lasting 21 seconds. A computer-generated text referring to tribal names was cut. One scene was modified to show water on a deity instead of a close-up of a leg on the deity.
Furthermore, the filmmakers had to include a disclaimer with a normal-paced voiceover stating that the film is a work of fiction inspired by the legendary tale of Bhakta Kannappa of Sri Kalahasti Temple, near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. It is based on the widely known text Sri Kalahasti Mahatyam by Mahakavi Durjeti from the 16th Century and Basavapuranam from the 13th Century. The disclaimer also clarified that the film does not intend to offend any community or religious sentiments.
Coming to Maa, Kajol has recently opened up about Ajay Devgn’s contribution to the blockbuster climax of the film. In a conversation with Pinkvilla, Kajol was quizzed about a behind-the-scenes picture from Maa’s sets, where Ajay Devgn is seen guiding her. “Yeah, it’s probably the climax. Short parts of the climax. Creatively, yes, of course. He’s the producer. So he sat down on the script, and he was part of the whole process of the film. But, Vishal is the director of the film, no two ways about it,” she shared.
Maa is a supernatural thriller that pits divine strength against dark forces. Kajol stars as a fierce mother who battles supernatural powers to save her daughter. With a talented ensemble cast, including Ronit Roy and Indraneil Sengupta, Maa promises to deliver a dramatic clash that will leave you on the edge of your seat.