'Ludo' and 'Jhund' to release directly on Amazon Prime?
The pandemic is bringing some unforeseen changes in the movie business. With theaters shuttered indefinitely across the country, filmmakers and producers are now looking at new ways to keep their projects afloat. One way to do so is to have a direct-to-digital release. In fact, two of the most-anticipated films of this year, Ludo and Jhund might just directly land at your homes.
Quoting a source, Bollywood Hungama reported that Amazon's streaming arm Prime Video has acquired the rights of both the upcoming movies. Now, the streamer will soon release them. "Both films are T-Series productions and given the extended lockdown period, the makers felt it was better to release [them] on the streaming service rather than wait for a theatrical release," the source informed the publication.
"Today, filmmakers are faced with a hard choice. With theaters being shut, a major chunk of revenue has been axed. Hence, filmmakers are forced to search for different avenues to recover costs, and one way is with a direct release on OTT," the source added.
Directed by Anurag Basu, Ludo is a dark comedy anthology film. It stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rajkummar Rao, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Pankaj Tripathi, and others. On the other hand, Jhund, directed by Nagraj Manjule, is a sports movie based on the life of social worker and Slum Soccer founder Vijay Barse. Amitabh Bachchan plays the lead role in the film.
Meanwhile, Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Ghoomketu has also been given a digital release. The Pushpendra Nath Mishra-directorial will be out on ZEE5 on May 22. The movie tells the story of an inexperienced writer struggling to make it big in the film industry. Furthermore, Akshay Kumar's horror comedy Laxmmi Bomb is also expected to release on Disney+ Hotstar next month, as per reports.
Other Bollywood movies that remain indefinitely postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic include Akshay Kumar-starrer Sooryavanshi, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, and Ranveer Singh's sports film 83, among others. In fact, owing to stalled shoots and releases, producers are reportedly looking at losses of Rs. 2,500 crore.
