Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday’s Khaali Peeli will be first Bollywood film to release after theatres reopen

Maqbool Khan’s Khaali Peeli, starring Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday, will be the first Bollywood film to release in Indian theatres in months. The film, which came out on the pay-per-view streaming service Zee Plex on October 2, will re-release on the big screen on October 16, a day after theatres across the country are set to reopen.

Last month, the Ministry of Home Affairs allowed movie theatres, which have been shuttered since March, to reopen with 50% occupancy from October 15, in areas outside containment zones. This move was welcomed by several members of the film fraternity, including Abhishek Bachchan and Suniel Shetty.

Khaali Peeli, apart from its OTT release, was also screened at drive-in theatres in Gurugram and Bengaluru. According to trade analyst Komal Nahta, all six shows of the film in its opening weekend were sold out at the drive-in theatre in Gurugram.

“This should come as music to ears of filmbuffs & industry people, but as bad news for those who predicted Bollywood doom. 6 shows of Khaali Peeli in a make-shift Drive In cinema in Gurgaon in weekend are all sold out. One yesterday, two today and three tomorrow. At 999/- per car,” he wrote.

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A Hindustan Times review of Khaali Peeli said that it was ‘electric, sometimes a little too much’. “Khaali Peeli is a concoction that can only be brewed in the belly of Bollywood. With one chase sequence following on the tails of another, director Maqbool Khan ensures not a single moment is without its adrenaline dialled up to an 11. But it’s quite shocking how easily one can grow bored of craziness as well,” the review read.

Along with Khaali Peeli, Tamil political drama Ka Pae Ranasingam will also release in theatres on October 16. The film, which stars Vijay Sethupathi and Aishwarya Rajesh, also came out on Zee Plex earlier this month.

Three Hollywood films - My Spy, Force of Nature and The Rental - will also be out in theatres. While My Spy will release on October 16, Force of Nature will release the following week, on October 23. The Rental will open in theatres on October 30.

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