Bollywood trend analysts hail decision to defer 'Pad Man' release

Mumbai: As the Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar rescheduled the release of his upcoming film "Pad Man" to avoid its clash with the much-awaited magnum opus of Sanjay Leela Bhansali -- "Padmaavat", trend analysts said the decision will help both movies in terms of box office numbers.

On Friday evening, Akshay, along with Bhansali, announced at a press conference the decision to shift the release date of his film from January 25 to February 9, "so that 'Padmaavat' can get a solo release".

Akshay said: "At the moment, stakes of 'Padmaavat' are very high. SLB is a dear friend. We can come out together but their need is greater. I can understand what he is going through."

Asked if such changes would affect the box office prospects, trend analyst Komal Nahata told IANS: "The shift of release date helps optimise the numbers at the box office. Since there is a window of two weeks, the films will not cut into each other's business."

Agreeing with Nahata, another trend analyst Atul Mohan said: "Clash of two big films is never welcome, because both films suffer at the box office. So yes, it is a good decision, a wise one."

Nahata added: "If we look at the whole issue from the viewpoint of exhibitors, they are better placed now. Comparing two films, 'Padmaavat' would have been the first choice of any exhibitor and not 'Pad Man'.

"So, I see the decision of rescheduling the release as a positive change for 'Pad Man' from the box office collection point of view."

On the other hand, the release date of Neeraj Pandey's "Aiyaari", starring Siddharth Malhotra and Manoj Vajpayee, which was earlier scheduled to reach the public on January 25, had been shifted to February 9, to avoid the clash with "Pad Man".

But now, "Aiyaari" will not only clash with "Pad Man" but also with "Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety" releasing the same day.

Now that "Pad Man' is releasing on February 9, will it not suffer due to the clash with "Pad Man" and "Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety"?

"Yes," said Mohan. "It will suffer and that is really unfortunate because 'Ayaari' first revealed their release date and then 'Pad Man' came. Though I see no reason not to announce the date in advance, because the whole marketing and promotion of the film work around it, one should be very careful about choosing a release date."

"Also, after the release of the trailer of a film, one cannot delay the release more than a month because of two reasons -- firstly, the audience loses interest in watching it unless it is a 'Khan' film, and secondly, it loses the freshness and relevance," he explained.