The uncertainty is back again! The theatres in many states have been shut down, and the big-ticket films that were scheduled to release in January have been postponed indefinitely — thanks to the spike in the Omicron cases, a new deadly variant of the Covid-19 virus. With the theatrical window closed again, the moviegoers have been left with no option but to stream movies and shows on OTT. The streaming services have also started the acquisition game and are approaching filmmakers with lucrative offers to release their films directly on OTT instead of waiting for cinema's re-opening amidst this uncertainty.
Now, Peepingmoon.com has learned that Disney+Hotstar has locked its first Hindi movie acquisition of this new year. Ronnie Screwvala's thriller A Thursday starring Yami Gautam, Neha Dhupia, Dimple Kapadia, and Atul Kulkarni will directly premiere on Disney+Hotstar, skipping the theatrical release. The film directed by Blank fame Behzad Khambata is expected to release in the next two months, and the announcement on the same will follow soon.
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Yami Gautam who was last seen in Pawan Kripalani's Bhoot Police will be seen playing a grey character for the first time in A Thursday. She plays the role of a fierce and endearing Naina Jaiswal, an intelligent playschool teacher who takes 16 toddlers in a school hostage. Written by Behzad Khambata and Ashley Lobo, the film is an intriguing fresh story based on a few unforeseen events that unravel on a Thursday. Events go out of control and the police and media scrutiny tear her apart, questioning her sanity and a possible reason for the heinous act.
Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP Movies is looking for a mix of theatrical and digital releases this year. Apart from A Thursday, Sonakshi Sinha and Riteish Deshmukh starrer Kakuda, Manoj Bajpayee's Despatch, and Rakul Preet's social-comedy Chhatriwali are also supposed to release directly on OTT. The banner also has a slew of theatrical films lined up such as Kangana Ranaut's spy thriller Tejas, Ishaan Khatter, and Mrunal Thakur's Pippa, Sidharth Malhotra's Mission Majnu, and Vicky Kaushal's Sam Bahadur among others.
Meanwhile, Yami Gautam is set to have four releases in 2022. Besides A Thursday that will premiere in the first quarter of this year, the actress will also be seen in Dinesh Vijan's Dasvi alongside Abhishek Bachchan, Oh My God 2 headlined by Akshay Kumar and Pankaj Tripathi, and the crime thriller Lost, directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.
