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The highly anticipated Shaktimaan film has been making headlines, not just for its potential to bring one of India’s most beloved superheroes back to life but also for the challenges surrounding its production. Sony Pictures India, which has secured the rights to adapt Shaktimaan into a major motion picture, cast Ranveer Singh as the titular character and roped in Basil Joseph, known for his work on Minnal Murali, as the director. However, despite these high-profile names, the project faces significant hurdles.
According to trade sources, it has been a struggle for Sony Pictures India to mount the project ever since. A trade source says, “Sony Pictures want to make Shaktimaan in the best possible way, but to their surprise, the digital players are not bullish on the film due to the not so good run of Ranveer Singh. They feel, he is on an all-time low and even a film like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani did not do the business that was expected from it.”
The source adds, “Sony Pictures believe that they are making the most exciting film of Indian Cinema, as Shaktimaan returns with a talented actor like Ranveer, but the market has a complete different perspective. The OTT platforms have asked them to replace Ranveer Singh with Ranbir Kapoor due to his diminishing stardom. Right now, they are trying to rework the budgets, and make the film happen with Ranveer Singh. Let’s see.”
The ambitious project comes with a massive production budget of ₹400 crore, making it one of the costliest films in Indian cinema and no one is willing to place such a huge risk. Given this high cost, the producers are dependent on securing premium deals with OTT platforms and satellite channels to mitigate risks. Unfortunately, these platforms currently view Ranveer Singh as a gamble due to his recent box office performance, which has been inconsistent. “Sony Pictures is struggling to sell Ranveer Singh as Superhero. The film can’t be made without premium OTT and satellite deals. And those deals right now are not possible with Ranveer. Let’s wait and watch. They want to take the film on floors by second half of 2025 and are hoping to secure better deals,” a source told Bollywood Hungama.
Earlier this month, Mukesh Khanna too addressed the rumours of Ranveer Singh playing Shaktimaan and responded to ABP Entertainment Live when they asked about the actor essaying the character, saying, “I have a contract with Sony International who made Spiderman. They have agreements. It took one year for them to draw these agreements. I am committed to not to talk. They hyped it so much everywhere that this one will become Shaktimaan, that one will become Shaktimaan.”
He continued, “Photos chap rahein hai aur sabne maan na shuru kar diya yeh Shaktimaan hai. Upar Aakash ke log bol rahein hain ki yeh Shaktimaan Banega. Inhone refute nahi kiya. Maine bhi unko message kia hai yeh puchte hue ki tum logon ne refute kyun nahi kiya ki hum isko nahi le rahein hai. Chup hai. Tab maine kahan andhar se daal pakk rahi hai. Toh main khada ho gaya maine nahi kahan hai abhi tak yeh Shaktimaan Banega (there were photos all over the place. People in the clouds started believing that he will be playing Shaktimaan. They didn’t refute. I messaged them asking why they didn’t refute this. They stayed silent. That’s when I realized something internally is going on. But I stood my ground and asserted that I have not decided yet whether he will play Shaktiman or no)”. This is not the first time where Mukesh Khanna has spoken about Singh. In the past, Mukesh Khanna had also raised his objection over Ranveer Singh going almost nude for a magazine photoshoot too.
As Sony Pictures navigates these challenges, the fate of Shaktimaan remains uncertain at this point in time. Whether the studio will stick with Ranveer Singh and slash budgets by 50% or opt for Ranbir Kapoor as a safer bet will likely depend on the evolving market dynamics in the coming months. What remains clear is that Shaktimaan is a project of immense ambition, and expectations are sky-high for its revival as a cultural phenomenon. For now, fans of the superhero must wait patiently to see who dons the iconic suit and brings Shaktimaan back to the big screen.
Also Read: Ranveer Singh meets OG Shaktimaan Mukesh; latter describes him as ‘good person with a dynamic personality’: “The most energetic actor in the industry”
The much-awaited Pushpa 2 – The Rule will be released tomorrow, December 5, and Sunny Deol fans will be in for a treat when they venture out to cinemas to catch the Allu Arjun-starrer. This is because the teaser of Sunny Deol’s next Jaat has been attached with the prints of Pushpa 2. Both films, incidentally, are made by the same production house – Mythri Movie Makers. The banner announced this development with a poster. But they didn’t mention the release date of Jaat with his announcement.
Bollywood Hungama has now exclusively got information in this regard. A source told us, “Jaat will be released in cinemas on April 10, 2025. The date is significant as Baisakhi is celebrated on April 13 by the members of the Punjabi community. Sunny Deol is also a Punjabi and has an insane fan following among the community. Hence, they feel that this is the apt time to bring Jaat. Also, with no other Hindi film on this date, the makers knew that this was the right date for the film.”
Earlier, there were reports that Jaat was all set to release on January 24, 2025, that is, during the Republic Day weekend. The source added, “Yes, they did look at arriving on January 24. However, the post-production and shoot took longer than expected. This is when they looked for another release date and that’s how April 10 was locked.”
The source also said that the release date of Jaat is expected to be mentioned in the teaser. Another source also revealed that the action-packed teaser will be available in cinemas first and then arrive on the internet.
Jaat, however, will face competition from Prabhas-starrer The Raja Saab. It features the Pan-India star in a double role and also stars Malavika Mohanan and Sanjay Dutt. Although it’s a Telugu film, it’ll have a wide release in Hindi as well.
Coming back to Jaat, it is directed by Gopichand Malineni and also stars Randeep Hooda, Vineet Kumar Singh, Regina Cassandra and Saiyami Kher. In an interview with Mid-Day in June, Gopichand revealed, “I’ll present (Sunny Deol) in a never-before-seen action avatar. After Gadar 2 was released, I narrated the story to Sunny sir. He said yes immediately, adding that he was looking for this kind of role. Sunny sir doesn’t play a man in uniform. While it is the story of a common man who takes on (the system) to fight for what is right, it is an unusual concept. The story is inspired from various real-life incidents, which people will (understand) when they watch the movie”.
Also Read: Sunny Deol celebrates 67th birthday on Jaat set, receives surprise visit from exhibitors benefiting from Gadar 2 success
Pushpa 2 – The Rule’s advance booking began with a bang on Saturday, November 30. Ever since, the tickets have been selling like hot cakes and the film is expected to set new records. Bollywood Hungama has now come across interesting data from the most popular ticketing website BookMyShow about the Allu Arjun-starrer.
The demand for Pushpa 2 – The Rule is so high that it has set a new record on BookMyShow. Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow, said, “Breaking all records, Pushpa 2 – The Rule has become the fastest movie to surpass the 1 million tickets sold on BookMyShow, crossing Kalki 2898 AD, Baahubali 2 – The Conclusion and KGF – Chapter 2. Fans rushed to get their tickets booked, on BookMyShow, across the country with Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Pune leading the charge.”
Ashish Saksena further said, “Anticipation for Pushpa 2 – The Rule is at an all-time high across both northern and southern markets, with distinct factors fuelling this excitement. In the South, Allu Arjun’s strong fan base and the success of the first instalment play key roles in driving large footfalls to the box office. Additionally, the performances of the talented Rashmika Mandanna and ravishing Fahadh Faasil in Pushpa: The Rise – Part 01 have further strengthened audience engagement for the sequel.”
Ashish Saksena continued, “Pushpa 2 – The Rule is expected to make a notable impact at the box office and the strong pre-release buzz positions the sequel as a strong contender to set new records for opening-day and weekend collections this year.”
Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, Executive Director, PVR INOX Ltd who revealed, “We always expected Pushpa 2 to be a big film, going by the trends and the numbers of the first part and also because it’s a very strong franchise. We have opened the advances and the film is tracking very well. We are looking at almost 60 lakh admissions over the weekend.”
Also Read: Trade experts SLAM Pushpa 2 – The Rule makers, multiplexes for inflated ticket rates: “If someone charges more than 20% of their blockbuster pricing, that’s just exploitative”
