Mary Kom postponed, it’ll be Bang Bang vs Haider on October 2nd

The release of Priyanka Chopra’s Mary Kom has been postponed to a later date for two reasons. One, Viacom 18 and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the producers of Mary Kom, want to make the film look grander with production values to match that of ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’.

A source close to the film said

“The producers Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Viacom 18 took a joint decision last month to postpone the release date so that Mary Kom could be further developed into another ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. Viacom had unexpectedly massive global success with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. They are now looking Mary Kom as the female counterpart of Milka Singh’s bio-pic. The global appeal of Mary Kom is much more contemporary than Milkha. While Milkha Singh’s bio-pic was retrospective in structure, Mary Kom is being made even as the real-life Mary Kom prepares for the next Olympics.”

“The version for the Indian market would have songs and more scenes showing Mary Kom’s home life. These up-gradations in the original design of Mary Kom would take time. We’re in no hurry to complete the film anymore.”

“There is a lot more being added to the film now. Director Omang Kumar has asked Priyanka to spend a lot more time with the real Mary Kom. The second-half of the film is being made much more dramatic and powerful. And the fights in the ring would be to die for”

The other reason is pretty obvious, Mary Kom was scheduled to release on October 2nd, which would mean a clash with two keenly-awaited film, Hrithik Roshan’s Bang Bang and Shahid Kapoor’s Haider. With the release now postponed, the makers are looking at a solo release for the film.

Meanwhile, the final shooting schedule of Bang Bang will begin soon in Prague. The post-production work has already begun and the film is on schedule to release in theatres on Gandhi Jayanti.

It remains to be seen if Haider will release on the previously announced date, or the makers would want to avert the ‘Bang Bang’ vs ‘Haider’ clash on October 2nd. The massive star cast of Bang Bang, holiday release and action genre would ensure that the film gets the maximum number of screens and shows.

Will Haider survive the Bang Bang wave or would it be a much wiser decision to postpone the film?