Republic Day clash: Rajinikanth's 2.0 may clash with Hrithik Roshan's Super 30, Emraan Hashmi’s Cheat India

Director Shankar’s 2.0, which was announced in 2015, has missed many release deadlines. It missed out on the Republic Day release this year, but buzz has it that the film is now eyeing Republic Day of 2019.

“It’s really difficult to say with certainty when 2.0 will be released, especially since the film has been delayed a few times. We’re hearing now that producers are targeting a Republic Day release next year. Aamir Khan has Thugs Of Hindostan for Diwali. The Christmas week is locked by Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero and Ranveer Singh’s Simmba. The remaining big holiday periods in 2018 are booked and so 2.0 makers are keen on releasing their film on Republic Day next year,” said a trade source.

The sci-fi thriller, starring Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar, has been delayed owing to the VFX work. 2.0 is the second film after Enthiran (2010). Buzz has it that 2.0 is made at an estiamted budget of Rs450 crore. The film has been shot in both Tamil and Telugu.

Another source told Cinestaan.com, "There is still a lot of CG work pending. CG work is being done in several countries for the film. Co-ordinating all of it is taking time. Moreover, Rajinikanth's other film Kaala was originally supposed to be released in April this year. However, thanks to the strike called by the Producers' Council, the release of that film itself was pushed by a couple of months and it was released only a few days ago. Under these circumstances, 2.0's makers are seriously considering releasing the film in January next year."

If 2.0 does come on Republic Day next year, then it will compete with Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30. Director Vikas Bahl and Super 30 were earlier targeting a 2 October 2018 release, but the film was pushed to next year.

Republic Day has brought cheer for Hrithik before. His debut film Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai (2000) was released five days before Republic Day and it turned out to be a blockbuster. Two years later, Hrithik's Agneepath (2012) became another box office success story.

Hrithik is not averse to competition as his last film Kaabil (2017), competed with Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees (2017) on Republic Day last year. The competition hurt both the films. In 2016, Hrithik's Mohenjo Daro had locked horns with Akshay's Rustom, and the latter won that battle hands down.

Apart from Super 30, there is also Emraan Hashmi’s Cheat India that had announced Republic Day 2019 as its release date. If 2.0 does lock horns with Super 30, then there is a strong possibility that there could be a shift in the release date of Cheat India.

— With inputs from Manigandan KR in Chennai