Barely
two
days
after
vocalizing
an
ostensibly
immovable
determination
to
release
their
film
this
Friday
and
hardly
hours
after
the
newspapers
announced
September
24
as
the
release
date,
the
Anjaana
Anjaani
team
has
done
an
about-turn
on
the
release
date.
On
Monday
afternoon
it
was
decided
that
the
film
would
now
be
released
a
week
ahead
of
schedule
on
October
1.
A
huge
setback
for
the
film
as
it
now
has
to
compete
for
eyeballs
with
two
other
biggies
Priyadarshan's
Aakrosh
and
Shankar's
Robot.
Director
Siddharth
Anand
who
had
earlier
stated
that
neither
the
Ayodhya-Babri
Masjid
verdict
nor
the
Dabangg
factor
would
prevent
Anjaana
Anjaani
from
releasing
this
Friday
now
has
this
to
say
about
the
postponement:
"There
are
too
many
reasons
for
the
postponement.
The
court
verdict
seems
too
much
of
a
risk
and
danger
to
the
release."
What
about
the
additional
burden
of
keeping
the
marketing
and
promotion
going
for
an
extra
week?
Says
Siddharth,
"We've
given
two
years
of
our
lives
to
Anjaana
Anjaani.
What
is
one
extra
week?
And
the
verdict
(on
the
temple-mosque
issue)
is
an
important
day
for
the
entire
country."
The
real
reason
for
the
postponement,
says
a
source,
is
that
neither
Dabangg's
popularity
nor
the
nation's
security
bandobast
(ref:
the
terrorist
attack
in
Delhi
on
the
two
Taiwanese
tourists)
seems
conducive
to
a
favourable
release
of
Anjaana
Anjaani
this
Friday
when
the
honourable
court
makes
a
historical
decision.
In
the
meanwhile,
Priyadarshan's
hard-hitting
socio-political
drama
Aakrosh
which
was
supposed
to
come
on
October
1
has
now
voluntarily
been
shifted
by
its
producer
Kumar
Mangat
by
a
week
to
October
8.
Says
Mangat,
"Neither
the
producer
Sajid
Nadiadwala
nor
the
director
Siddharth
Anand
of
Anjaana
Anjaani
asked
me
to
move
forward.
I
chose
to
do
so
although
it
means
an
added
burden
of
Rs.
1
crore
to
my
marketing
and
promotion
budget.
But
these
compromises
are
essential
in
the
entertainment
industry.
I've
been
a
distributor
and
producer
long
enough
to
realize
we
all
need
to
work
in
unity."
Mangat
has
in
fact
distributed
the
current
blockbuster
Dabangg
in
Mumbai
and
is
understandably
upbeat
about
the
box-office.
"The
decision
to
move
Anjaana
Anjaani
was
correct.
And
we
couldn't
have
three
big
films
(Anjaana
Anajaani,
Aakrosh
and
Robot)
on
one
Friday.
We
will
now
come
with
Mohit
Suri's
Crook
on
October
8.
Two
big
films
on
the
same
Friday
is
okay."
Commenting
on
the
need
for
producers
to
co-operate
among
themselves
Kumar
Mangat
says,
"When
my
comedy
Atithi
Tum
Kab
Jaaoge
was
to
release,
I
got
to
know
two
other
big
films
Teen
Patti
and
Kartik
Calling
Kartik
were
releasing
the
day.
I
requested
one
of
them
to
move
forward.
When
they
didn't
oblige,
I
moved
my
film.
Chalta
hai.
We
need
to
support
one
another's
films."
Story first published: Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 11:40 [IST]