Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari to release theatrically on November 15, director says ‘OTT is death of cinema’

Having successfully pushed for a theatrical release of his film Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari, director Abhishek Sharma has said that OTT is ‘the death of cinema’, and that he can’t understand why certain films were released online.

Zee Studios will release Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari theatrically on November 15, making it one of the first major films to open in theatres since Angrezi Medium in March, after which cinemas across the country were closed down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Over the last few weeks, restrictions have been eased in many states, allowing production houses to explore theatrical exhibition once again.

Diljit Dosanjh and Fatima Sana Shaikh in a still from Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari.

The film will arrive at the end of a packed holiday season, which will see films such as Laxmii, Ludo and Chhalaang debuting on streaming platforms.

Director Abhishek Sharma had said in an interview that he had always been pushing for a theatrical release for the film. “I’ve never been okay with a digital release, my thoughts on this are well known. For me, the cinema belongs to the theatre. I’m really thankful to the production house for giving me that push for theatre, even in these times and Inshallah we’ll be the first film to come out in theatres,” he told Times Now.

He said that the films that have been released on streaming during the pandemic have suffered. Wondering why the makers couldn’t have waited longer, he added, “I am sorry to use the word, but those films are dying, it’s death. I wouldn’t take names but there are so many films which are on OTT right now and I can see some coming as well, which are promising, I don’t know why they couldn’t wait. For me, cinema belongs to theatres. I’m a theatre guy, I feel cinema belongs to movie theatres and not to OTT. I think that’s the death of the cinema...”

Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari stars Diljit Dosanjh, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Manoj Bajpayee. The film has been described as a light-hearted, Hrishikesh Mukherjee-style comedy.

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