Mulan to have India premiere on 4 December; Niki Caro's film will stream on Disney+ Hotstar

Almost a month after its release in the US, Disney has announced the India release date of Mulan as 4 December. The movie will be debuted on Disney's subscription streaming service, Disney+ Hotstar.

Unlike in the US, where customers had to pay an additional $29.99 on top of the cost of the monthly subscription to rent Mulan, the film will be available to stream to existing subscribers at no extra cost in English on Disney+ Hotstar Premium and dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu on Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

The live-action remake of the animated film was one of the first major films to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Originally set for a 27 March release, Mulan moved to late July, then late August and was then pulled from the calendar altogether as COVID-19 cases spiked through the US. However, it was screened in territories where cinemas had reopened.

The story follows a young woman, Mulan (played by Liu Yifei) who dresses up like a man to become the representative of her family in a war. She does this to save her father from going into the battle when he is already wounded from an earlier war. However, aside from the martial arts training, what she needs to master is her inner ‘chi’.

Upon its release, the film drew criticism for being filmed partly in Xinjiang, the region in China where Uighur Muslims have been detained in mass internment camps. The fantasy drama also faced boycott due to actor Liu Yifei's public support of the Hong Kong police attacking pro-democracy protestors in 2019.

It also drew mixed reviews and was rated 4.9 out of 10 by more than 165,000 people on Douban, a leading website for film, book, and music ratings. The Hollywood Reporter criticised the “anemic characterisations, uninvolving storyline and stunted performances” in the movie.

Made on a huge budget of $200 million, Mulan is the most expensive movie helmed by director Niki Caro.