Suriya’s Singam 3 Delayed, Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees and Hrithik Roshan’s Kaabil to Benefit

In a major disappointment to Tamil film fans, the makers of Suriya’s highly-anticipated film Singam 3 have postponed its theatrical release, once again, blaming the recent outbreak of violence in Tamil Nadu. The film, which was set to hit the screens on January 26, will now release on February 3.

While it may have upset Suriya fans, the delay in its release will put a smile on the faces of producers and distributors of Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees and Hrithik Roshan’s Kaabil down south. These films now will take big openings in terms of screen count, which will translate into good box office business, in all south Indian states, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka.

Singam 3 would have taken highest numbers of screens in all five states if it had released as planned. Now the major screens, which were reserved for the cop film, will be divided among Raees and Kaabil. Taking advantage of the situation, the makers of Adhe Kangal announced to release the film on January 26 to cash in on the four-day Republic Day weekend. However, it is not a worthy rival for both Bollywood biggies at the box office. Shah Rukh is a popular star in Tamil Nadu and he has built a strong fan following with occasional appearances in film functions in Tamil Nadu and through films like Chennai Express. His upcoming film Raees has already taken a lead in advance booking in Chennai and it will also be the trade’s favourite in Chennai’s suburbs. Since it is only in Hindi, the audience base for the film is limited.

On the other hand, the makers of Kaabil are releasing the dubbed Tamil version, which will help the film to reach a wider audience across Tamil Nadu, which worked for Aamir Khan’s Dangal.

Suriya enjoys a huge fan following in Telugu states too. So much so that the makers of Ram Charan Teja’s hit film Dhruva requested him to postpone the release date so it doesn’t affect the box office collection of their film. Raees and Kaabil will surely reap the benefits of Singam 3’s, Yamudu 3 in Telugu, delay.

The dubbed Telugu version of Kaabil titled Balam along with its original Hindi version will release on 200 screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

A source close to the Kaabil team said, “The makers of Kaabil are extremely positive about the Telugu version release. They feel that this script will connect for the audience. Hrithik has delivered his career best performance and Kaabil will touch the hearts of the audience.”

According to reports, meanwhile, the Shah Rukh-starrer is leading the advance booking in Hyderabad. These films’ box office outlooks have also invariably improved in Kerala due to Singam 3 postponement. While Shah Rukh Khan film is said to hit about 120 screens, Hrithik film will release on about 60 screens.

Courtesy : indianexpress