With everything opening up and things getting back to normal, as an audience, I am getting to witness one blockbuster after another on the big screen. But when I sit back and think, I feel I have to give it to Rohit Shetty who never succumbed to the pressures of the pandemic and held back from releasing Sooryavanshi on OTT platforms. I still remember that the latest film from Shetty’s cop-universe was always supposed to release before the pandemic hit us, and when the situation brought things to a standstill, Shetty stood the test of time only to release Sooryavanshi as the best way for audiences to come back to the theaters.
Yes, the Akshay Kumar–Katrina Kaif starrer was the very first film to release in theaters after a long gap of almost two years. It was a risk, but a well-calculated one on Shetty’s part, for despite having a 50 percent occupancy due to Government restrictions, the film managed to become a blockbuster and rake in some big moolah at the box office. With a Diwali release, the film received an impressive footfall and a whopping Rs 200 crores business. Not just that it also becomes the perfect welcome for the audiences to return to the big screens.
Recently, as Rohit announced his next Cirkus with Ranveer Singh to have a release on Christmas 2022, I couldn’t help but think how wonderfully the filmmaker has been treating us to family entertainers. I also realized how Sooryavanshi paved the way and probably gave the other filmmakers the courage to come back to the theaters.
And I am glad he did so because someone had to open the doors to normal life once again, for cinema, it was Rohit who let his cop universe do the deed. What is amazing is that he is also now bringing his cop universe to the digital space with an OTT show Indian Police Force on Amazon Prime Video. Rohit’s vision and canvas only get bigger with every project and I guess soon there will be a case where the world will be his stage.