Powerstar Pawan Kalyan’s Hari Hara Veera Mallu is set to hit the screens on July 24th, after being postponed three times. When the film’s producer, AM Rathnam, was asked to share why the film had been delayed multiple times, he shared the backstory, revealing that the link with the OTT partner had resulted in them losing their minds over finding the correct release date.
As a matter of fact, everyone in the film industry knows that the OTT partners are dictating the release dates of movies in the film industry. For South films, the OTT window period is 28 days, and the OTT partners strictly follow the rule. They work in a corporate style where their calendar is pre-fixed and will be locked for the next six months or sometimes a year. Sometimes, it is difficult for them to make adjustments to their release calendars, which results in this release date problem.
In the case of Hari Hara Veera Mallu, the makers were supposed to arrive on March 28th, 2025. However, they postponed it to May 9th and then postponed it to June 12th. Finally, the release date has been locked as July 24th, and the team is almost ready to meet this date without any further delay.
AM Rathnam revealed the process where they made an agreement with the OTT partner Amazon Prime Video, well in advance. It is mandatory as part of the process that the producer commits a release date for the film, based on which the streaming partner will decide the digital release date of the particular film, honoring the 28-day window period.
In the first round of discussions, AM Rathnam said that they committed to releasing the film in March 2025, despite initially planning to bring it to screens in September last year itself. Considering the busy schedules of Pawan Kalyan, the producer planned it in such a way that they have ample time in between. But when the producer failed to honor the agreement in the first place, the OTT partner levied a penalty that the producer had no choice but to agree to.
However, AM Rathnam explained that they planned to release the film in May and later in June, with the hope that the film will be ready. But, as they approached June, the team realized that the VFX part was getting delayed, so they had no choice but to postpone the film to a later date. But then, the OTT partner again asked them to go to December rather than releasing it immediately in July.
But the producer took pains to convince them that his film would become stale had he agreed to release the film in December. When the team wanted to release prior to July 24th, the OTT partner decided that the film could be released on July 25th. With Housefull also ready for a release on OTT, the Amazon team does not want that to clash with Hari Hara Veera Mallu.
But then, the producer was concerned that HHVM would clash theatrically with Ajay Devgn’s film in North. But, with both parties discussing the pros and cons, the OTT partner gave a green signal to July 25th, but owing to the ‘Baba’ sentiment factor, the producer decided to release the film on 24th July (Thursday), to which Amazon does not have any objection.
In the recent past, we have seen a lot of producers complaining that the digital streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix are dictating the release dates of the Telugu films. It is true indeed but then, from the point of view of these streaming giants, they also have to be careful on fixing their streaming calendar. With huge stakes involved and massive investments on the block, the postponement of releases on OTT would also hamper their viewership heavily.
As a result, they put pressure on production houses to stick to their commitments in terms of release dates such that the film’s postponement will not effect their streaming calendars. However, the practical problems that come into the play sometimes become the deciding factors to which no one has a control on.
On the other side, there were speculations about the postponement of HHVM that the film’s theatrical business is not satisfactory or meeting the expectations of the producers. The rumors did rounds that for the same reason, the team postponed the film. AM Rathnam issued a clarity on the same, throwing some light on the facts.
According to AM Rathnam, the film’s business is decided based on the revenue that the hero’s film previously made or the market value of the star. Sometimes, film will be made on a budget that the script demands and it may not be in sync with what the star’s film previously made.
AM Rathnam who follows the second case, wanted good deals which he may not strike with, if he sell the film during the initial stages. Hence, he waited until the film’s trailer was released so that it creates some anticipation, and eventually bringing him some desired business deals.
Having said that, he acknowledged the fact that there was some disappointment in this scenario as the market is acting like that. He said that most of the big releases in the recent times flopped, leaving the buyers with empty hands. When they do not have returns in hand from previous films, they will be compelled to bargain or express an opinion that the rates are high. AM Rathnam termed it a common practice but hoped that the film becomes a big blockbuster.
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