Ranveer Singh-starrer '83's film release pushed to June due to UK Lockdown

Ranveer Singh plays Kapil Dev in the drama

As soon as the Centre allowed theatres to function at 100 per cent capacity, all eyes turned to Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi and Ranveer Singh's 83. The two tentpole movies are being viewed as a possible shot in the arm for the exhibition and distribution sectors that have been hit hard by the pandemic. While rumours suggest that Kumar's cop caper will hit the marquee over the Good Friday weekend, looks like we'll have to wait longer to witness Singh's retelling of India's glorious victory at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

83 sees Saqib Saleem playing Mohinder Amarnath

Trade circles are abuzz that Reliance Entertainment and director Kabir Khan have decided to hold off its release till the situation improves in the UK. "Since the 1983 Prudential Cup was held in England and Wales, the makers have been counting on a warm response from the Indian diaspora in the UK. Additionally, they were targeting a wide release across 80 to 100 countries where cricket is immensely popular. With the UK under lockdown and several countries reeling under the pandemic, the team has decided to push the film's release to June, for the time being," reveals a trade source.

Pankaj Tripathi as PR Man Singh

Though remaining evasive on the sports drama's June outing, co-producer Vishnuvardhan Induri confirms they are eyeing a global release. "It will be an injustice to not release 83 in countries, like the United Kingdom, which love cricket but are still under lockdown. Since the event happened in the UK, it wouldn't be right if we didn't release it there. The movie has a global appeal and we want all the international cricket markets to open up before we release it," he says.