Bachchan Pandey’s opting for a theatrical release on March 18 wasn’t a long-thought decision but an overnight one. This was because, only 24 hours before, paperwork was in place to release it on a leading OTT channel.
Everything was pretty much certain, and it was just a matter of a few signatures before the deal would have taken place. It was decided that the film would go ahead with a March release but on an OTT landscape after the offer made by them was lucrative, and at the same time, there was uncertainty prevailing over theatres’ reopening and occupancy rules. And the decision made sense as Akshay Kumar’s Laxmii, which also took the OTT route, went on to become a rage not only on the digital platform but subsequently on satellite television as well.
Akshay’s last release, Atrangi Re, also did quite well on the OTT in December last year, and therefore, there was no reason why Bachchan Pandey wouldn’t have done better. The number was finalised at a whopping 175 crores, which would have made the film profitable. However, things took a complete u-turn when Sajid saw the promo being cut side by side, and he thought it wouldn’t have been justified for a movie as grand as Bachchan Pandey to not have a theatrical release and hence the decision was taken to stick to theatres rather than moving to the OTT arena.
