Kamal Haasan takes on Vishal Bhardwaj

Director’s film no longer the first big 2013 release; Haasan’s movie out on same day.

The field looked clear for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (MKBKM), all set to be the first big-ticket Bollywood project to roll out in January. The film was set to enjoy a solo release on January 13. But now, Kamal Haasan’s film, Vishwaroopam (made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu), is also releasing on the same day.

Kamal-Haasan

Industry insiders feel that since Balaji Motion Pictures is distributing Vishwaroopam, Ekta Kapoor will go all out to promote the film. “Kamal Haasan is a big name, so Vishal is bound to feel a little heat. We don’t know about the scale of Vishwaroopam, but MKBKM’s business is bound to be affected,” says an insider.

Ekta is believed to be going all out to help Vishwaroopam get a solid release in north India. This is after PVR and other multiplex chains in the region initially threatened to boycott the film, irked by Haasan’s decision to premiere it on a direct-to-home (DTH) platform simultaneously.

Ekta’s association with the film might be due to her father Jeetendra’s friendship with Haasan. “They are very close. Although we haven’t really released outside films (out of Bollywood) till date, given our relationship with Kamal and our regard for him, we are releasing Vishwaroopam,” says Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures.

About the clash with MKBKM, Tanuj says, The release date is Kamal’s decision, not ours, as the Telugu and Tamil versions are releasing simultaneously.”