Sooryavanshi release postponed amid coronavirus outbreak; Rohit Shetty film was slated to hit theatres on March 24

The makers of Sooryavanshi , starring Akshay Kumar in the lead announced that the film’s release has been delayed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic . The film, also starring Katrina Kaif as the female lead, was slated to hit theatres on 24 March.

In their announcement, the makers wrote that the decision was made due to safety concerns of the audience, but did not mention a new release date.

Here is the announcement

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— Reliance Entertainment (@RelianceEnt) March 12, 2020

World Health Organisation (WHO) has characterised COVID-19 as a ‘pandemic’ if countries step up  measures to tackle it. Currently, India has recorded 74 positive cases, including the first death in Karnataka, reports Deccan Herald .

Today Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrival declared that all schools, colleges and cinema halls in Delhi would be shut to contain the virus from spreading, reports Asian News International .

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the entertainment industry across the world with the premieres of many highly-anticipated films like No Time to Die have been postponed by seven months. Many musicians have also cancelled their world tours citing safety reasons.

This is the second delay in release that Sooryavanshi has faced. Bankrolled by Dharma Productions and Rohit Shetty Picturez, it was slated for an Eid 2020 release, but the film was later rescheduled in order to avert a box office clash with Salman Khan and Alia Bhatt’s now-delayed drama  Inshallah . 

The film will feature  extended cameo appearances  by Ranveer Singh as Simmba and Ajay Devgn as Bajirao Singham. Both characters belong to Shetty’s action-packed cop universe.

Sooryavanshi is the ambitious  cop-crossover project  that Shetty has been teasing ever since Devgn’s Singham made an appearance in  Simmba . In the closing scene of the Singh-starrer, Kumar also made a cameo in his Veer Sooryavanshi avatar, announcing he would be “taking charge in 2019”. Kumar will feature as the head of Mumbai’s Anti terrorism squad, who is tasked with preventing the biggest attack on the city since 26/11.