'Deewar' release postponed, not 'Hum Tum'

  • IndiaGlitz, [Saturday,May 08 2004]

The release of Deewaar: Let's Bring Our Heroes Home has been postponed to next month while Hum Tum will hit the theatres on schedule in May. Gaurang Doshi has decided to move his film Deewaar forward by a week to June 4.

This is because our post-production work couldn't be completed on time. I was hell bent on releasing my film May 28 as per schedule, Doshi told IANS. I think I'm the only filmmaker to have announced the release date even before the film's production began. Unfortunately, ours being a very big film, the post-production work took more time than we thought. So I guess 'Hum Tum' has an open Friday May 28. I hope it does well.

Hum Tum is Yashraj Films' remake of When Harry Met Sally and features Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee. Doshi has little reason to worry about the week's delay. It's the other producers with Amitabh Bachchan films on hand who should beware because following Deewaar, June 4, there are three more Bachchan-starrers lined up for the next fortnight! While a clash between Govind Nihalani's Dev and Farhan Akhar's Lakshya has been averted, the two films will still overlap at the box office when they release on June 11 and June 18 respectively.

I have a smaller role in 'Lakshya', almost a cameo, reiterates Bachchan. But, yes, I play the title role in 'Dev'. There's more reason for alarm at the considerable clutter of releases at the box office. Now filmmaker Tito's supernatural thriller Hum Kaun Hain featuring Bachchan with Dharmendra and Dimple Kapadia is also scheduled for June 18. However, chances are Tito would move his relatively low-profile film forward.

There's more. On July 2, there's one more Bachchan flick coming into the theatres. Debutant Samir Karnik's Kyun Ho Gaya Na features the virtual real-life pair Vivek Oberoi and Aishwarya Rai with Bachchan in a cameo.

This kind of clutter, as you call it, cannot be avoided. Producers with ready products have huge liabilities to take care of, Bachchan says.” They can't wait for one actor's decks to be cleared. Earlier, this year there was a so-called clash between 'Khakee' and 'Aetbaar'. If we must have four of my releases in three, weeks so be it. Like I said, I've varied lengths of role and different characters in all four films.