Kollywood Film Releases: How Is Diwali 2020 Going To Be Different From Previous Years?

This year, Diwali is going to be a low-key affair in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak. The festival of lights, that signifies the triumph of good over evil, is falling on November 14 in 2020. People across the country will be celebrating the festival this year by adhering to social distancing norms in public places and following other COVID-19 protocols.

Diwali 2020 And Kollywood

COVID-19 pandemic will surely affect Diwali 2020 and bother the entertainment industry, especially Kollywood. The Tamil industry has been treating its fans with new releases in theatres for several years now. Unfortunately, 2020 will be the only year when there will be no big celebration at the cinema halls like any other year. This time, a few Kollywood films have been forced to opt for an alternative option, which is the new normal of the town- OTT platforms.

Diwali 2020 And Theatres

After a long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, theatres finally reopened recently (November 10, 2020). However, new films will not be released in the near future owing to the outbreak and also the current standoff between the theatre owners and Tamil film producers, where the latter have announced that there will be no new releases until the Virtual Print Fee charges are taken care of by the owners of the big screens.

Well, the theatres are now running previous years' releases including Thalapathy Vijay's Bigil, to garner the attention of a mass audience yet again.

Diwali 2020 And Kollywood Business

There are as many as 1000 screens in Tamil Nadu which in total have an approximate revenue of Rs 8-9 crore. With the festival of lights being a dimmed affair this time, Tamil Film Industry might incur loss in 2020 mainly due to the lack of new releases in theatres. Well, the film fraternity will have to sketch a proper plan for the upcoming Diwali (2021) so that the new releases entertain the Tamil audience and in turn helps the makers and theatres gain profit.

Kollywood's Previous Year Releases

2019 Diwali was indeed a starry one. Vijay's Bigil directed by Atlee Kumar was one of the biggest attractions during the festive season. The sports drama released on October 25, also starred Lady Superstar Nayanthara. The other Diwali releases included Dhanush-Duraisenthil Kumar's Pattas, Karthi-Lokesh Kanagaraj's Kaithi and Vishal-Sundar C's Action.

Diwali 2020 Releases On OTT Platforms And Television

The highly awaited big film Suriya's Soorarai Pottru released recently (November 12, 2020) on Amazon Prime Video. The action-drama directed by Sudha Kongara has been getting a positive response from netizens and movie buffs. Nayanthara's Mookuthi Amman directed by RJ Balaji is also making it to Disney+ Hotstar for its Diwali release. Crime comedy film Naanga Romba Busy starring Prasanna and Shaam is going to be premiered on Sun TV on November 14, 2020.