Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

It was only last week that the trailer of the upcoming film Shimla Mirchi was released and the makers announced that the film will come out in cinema halls on 3 January. But now it seems there is a major twist. According to a report on entertainment website Bollywood Hungama, the film will not be released in theaters and will directly go to an OTT platform.

Shimla Mirchi, which stars Rajkummar Rao, Hema Malini and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead, was made in 2014 but could not be released due to certain reasons. Now that the film got a release date, Viacom 18 Studios, which is backing the film, took the decision without taking into confidence film’s director Ramesh Sippy or cast members.

The report quoted a source close to Sippy as saying, “Viacom 18 has taken the decision (to release Shimla Mirchi on the digital platform) on their own. Rameshji had no say in the matter. He made the film in 2014 at a meagre budget of 16-17 crores. It was meant to be a small sweet romantic film set in Shimla. Rameshji handed over the film to the producers in 2015.”

The source further added, “Just why they sat on it for 4 years and why they’ve decided to not give it a theatrical release is not explained. It isn’t as if small-town romances don’t work in theatres. Viacom themselves have released several such films. Recent films like Luka Chuppi and Pati Patni Aur Woh have done well. Then why this step-motherly treatment to Shimla Mirchi?”

The film marks the return of Ramesh Sippy to director’s chair after over two decades. His last directorial was Zamana Deewana that came out in 1995. He has given Bollywood some memorable films like Andaz, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay. All of them featured Hema Malini. The film also marks the reunion of the two after more than forty years. They last worked together in Sholay that came out in 1975.

There is no official word yet from the director, producers or cast members on the cancellation of the film’s theatrical release.

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