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By Avinash Lohana | Updated: Aug 30, 2018
Thackeray producer Sanjay Raut is determined to have the film release on Republic Day, as are Manikarnika, Cheat India makers; Hrithik Roshan's Super 30 to clash with all three.
The Republic Day weekend of 2019 will be a crowded one with as many as four Bollywood biggies lining up for the box-office.
What is interesting is that these include three biopics Vikas Bahl's Super 30 with Hrithik Roshan as math wiz Anand Kumar, Kangana Ranaut in and as Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui playing Bal Thackeray in the Abhijit Panse directorial on the late Shiv Sena supremo. The fourth film in the quartet is Emraan Hashmi's first production, with Bhushan Kumar, Tanuj Garg and Atul Kasbekar, the social drama Cheat India, which showcases malpractices in engineering colleges and other educational institutes in India. While Super 30, Manikarnika and Cheat India will arrive on January 25, the Thackeray biopic will open on January 23, on the late politician's 93rd birth anniversary.
When Mirror reached out to Sanjay Raut, who has produced Thackeray, on the upcoming box office clash he was unfazed by the competition. "I can't stop other filmmakers from releasing their films on the same weekend, but no matter how many films come up against us, the country is waiting for Thackeray. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has played him extremely well and while people are aware that Balasaheb was a politician, cartoonist and an orator, we are showcasing his rise from a common man to a superman which makes for interesting viewing, asserts Raut, adding that during his recent travels aboard, he also sensed a growing excitement among the diaspora. "We were the first to announce the release and I'm not going to shift the date come what may, he states firmly.
Kamal Jain, the producer of Manikarnika, reveals that he had two release dates in mind for his period drama from the beginning given the subject: Independence Day and Republic Day. "I don't know about any clashes nor do I want to comment on them. January 25 is an apt date for us which is why we have zeroed in on it. I'm not worried about the competition, he says confidently.
Reiterating her producer's thoughts Kangana had recently told Mirror (August 25) that after unveiling the first poster of the historical drama on August 15, they had the choice of coming on Republic Day or Independence Day, 2019, and they decided to push for the former, even though there is some patchwork left and director Krrish who has got busy with the NTR biopic can only spare dates after its release on January 11. "The writers want certain transitional scenes shot before the release, I've assured the studio I won't leave Manikarnika even if it means rescheduling dates and sacrificing personal time, the actress had stated.
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