Saansein to now arrive with Shah Rukh Khan’s Dear Zindagi on November 25

By Joginder Tuteja -

November 11, 2016 - 9:39 AM IST

The makers of Saansein have made a bold move. Instead of arriving today, they would now be coming on November 25. This is also the day when Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt's Dear Zindagi hits the screens. However, it is not about making a hasty decision or taking a call under duress due to lack of choices available. Instead, it is a calculated move.

Saansein to now arrive with Shah Rukh Khan’s Dear Zindagi on November 25

"There was no way that we would have arrived today. Do you think 'aam aadmi' would stand in queue for a film or instead stand in queue for an ATM or a bank? Well, you guessed it right! In such times, when money is the biggest thing on people's mind, you can't expect them to think about entertainment," says a source attached to the film.

Considering the fact that Saansein is looking at an equal split of arriving at the multiplexes and the single screens, the makers had no intention of rushing through the release just because an original date was decided for November 11.

"Of course, this puts the pressure on us to spend on marketing and promotion for two more weeks. However, it is better to do that instead of giving an excuse later that we could not do well due to demonetization drive," says producer Goutam Jain.

But why November 25? "There is no point coming next week either because of two reasons. First and foremost, it would take at least a couple of weeks before people would be able to get their funds sorted. One doesn't see this settling down in one's week time. Secondly, there is also John Abraham's Force 2 arriving on 18th November and that film would also have good penetration in the single screens. Why to clash Saansein with Force 2, when latter had announced its release date first," says a trade insider.

This meant bringing the film on November 25, even though there is a Shah Rukh Khan film releasing on that day.

"It is okay because by the very look and feel of it, the film is predominantly catering to the multiplexes," the source adds, "Of course the presence of Shah Rukh Khan means that single screens would have its fair share as well. Still, it is not that there is no space for any other film. Considering the fact that Saansein is a horror musical, a formula that traditionally works especially when the budget is under control, it is getting a good deal with single screens. Moreover, there is no such scenario like 4-5-6 films arriving in a single week which would have made them all get lost in the crowd. Saansein is getting good visibility."

Another date thought was December 2, but that was immediately ruled out since Rajneish Duggall, the leading man of Saansein, is also one of the leads in Wajah Tum Ho which releases on the same day.