Akshay Kumar’s ‘Bhooth Bangla’ Delayed: Inside the Power Play

In a surprising turn of events, the highly anticipated Bollywood film 'Bhooth Bangla', starring Akshay Kumar and directed by Priyadarshan, has been postponed from its original release date of April 10th to April 17th.

The delay has sparked curiosity and speculation within the industry, with many questioning the reasons behind this last-minute change. While initial reports attributed the postponement to the phenomenal success of 'Dhurandhar 2', a deeper investigation by Bollywood Hungama has revealed a more intricate power play at work.

According to an industry source, the distribution head of Jio Studios, Deepak Sharma, has strategically leveraged the success of 'Dhurandhar 2' to secure a dominant position for the studio in the Indian market. Sharma is reported to have instructed multiplexes to retain 'Dhurandhar 2' in all four shows during the release week of 'Bhooth Bangla', even if it meant pulling back the KDM in the fourth week.

The source further revealed that the exhibitors were asked to provide a written commitment to this arrangement, ensuring that 'Dhurandhar 2' would receive a staggering 10,000 shows during the crucial release week of 'Bhooth Bangla'. Given the unprecedented success of 'Dhurandhar 2', exhibitors were reluctant to risk losing any revenue, leading to their agreement with Jio Studios' demands.

The team behind 'Bhooth Bangla' fought to secure a respectable release date of April 10th, arguing that 'Dhurandhar 2' would have already achieved significant box office success by then. However, the power dynamics at play left them with no choice but to postpone the film by a week.

Akshay Kumar and his team, known for their preference to avoid controversy, ultimately decided to move the release date to April 17th, allowing 'Dhurandhar 2' to continue its historic run.