Independence Day Battle: Stree 2, Khel Khel Mein, Vedaa and Thangalaan to fight it out at the box office on August 15

Getting the right release date is as important as getting the right script and right cast for your film. And this year, the Independence Day weekend is the most sought after date as it will witness a fatal battle at the box office with four major films fighting it out for the audience’s attention. From previous biggies exiting the date to newer films entering the battle, here’s a timeline of how August 15 has become a hot spot for films this year.

At the start of the year it was confirmed that Rohit Shetty and Ajay Devgn’s Singham Again will clash with Allu Arjun and Sukumar’s Pushpa 2: The Rule on 15th August. Singham Again team decided to cancel the release date as the shooting of the film took longer than expected and they recently wrapped up their schedule in Kashmir. That empty space was taken over by Nikkhil Advani for his John Abraham and Sharvari starrer Vedaa, which was first supposed to release in July.

Soon after Singham Again moved, news began to filter in that Pushpa 2 has also left the date. While the makers are yet to confirm the postponement, the spot was immediately taken over by Bhushan Kumar and Akshay Kumar for their upcoming film Khel Khel Mein which also stars Fardeen Khan, Taapsee Pannu, Ammy Virk and many more.

After Singham Again moved, the much anticipated sequel to 2018 hit film Stree, was confirmed to arrive on August 15. The film has a stellar cast of Shraddh Kapoor, Rajkumma Rao, Pankaj Tripathi , Aparshakti Khurrana and Abhishek Banerjee. One can also expect Varun Dhawan making an appearance in the film in a cameo act.

South superstar Vikram starrer Thangalaan, which is directed by Pa Ranjith, was originally slated to release in June. But with Pushpa 2 moving out, Thangalaan decided to step in to represent South cinema on Independence Day. In the past few years films from South of India have been doing exceedingly well and this one is also expected to make it big. Thangalaan is a period film set against the backdrop of the Kolar Gold Fields and will explore the original story of the place.

In the interim, a rumor began to float that Singham Again might just return for August 15, but that was shot down by Ajay at the launch of his film Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha on Thursday. He stated that they are not in any rush to release the film and on Friday morning it was announced that Singham Again will release on Diwali.
Meanwhile, this shuffle of dates has also cautioned other films to reconsider their releases. Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor’s Devara has moved to 27th September from its October release and Alia Bhatt has shifted her film Jigra with Vedang Raina to 11th October from its September release.