CHENNAI: Star Wars fans in India who have been feverishly waiting for the latest instalment of the franchise, are disappointed. They can blame it on Bollywood. JJ Abram’s much-awaited Star Wars: The Force Awakens releases in the US on December 18, and has already come out in countries like France, the UK and Norway earlier in the week. But it won’t be premiered across India on Friday, since accommodating the ‘double dhamaka’ Bollywood release of Dilwale and Bajirao Mastani takes priority, a distributor confirmed.
What makes the delay even more pronounced is the fact that the last time we saw a Star Wars film on screen was a decade ago. Paul Phillip, a fan of the franchise from Chennai does not mince words when conveys his frustration. “I’m pissed off,” he says. “I’ve been looking forward to this movie ever since the rumours of it being made started doing the rounds. And that was four years ago. Now we have to be left in the dark, while everyone finds out what happens, for a whole week?”
Others are worried that the Christmas release won’t be as merry, with spoilers doing the rounds online. “The best thing is to avoid social media like the plague till you get to the theatre to watch it,” advises Srikanth Suvaaru from Bengaluru, a fan who doesn’t want to lose out on a single moment of suspense.
Slated to be released across the country on December 25, Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be showing on 80 screens in Tamil Nadu, including 10 in Chennai, both 3D and 2D. Asked whether there is a worry that pirated prints will pop up given the delay, and a distributor dismisses the idea. “This is a cult franchise, everybody wants to watch it on the big screen and with new IMAX screens recently opened in Chennai, even more so.”