Just when the film industry thought things were returning to normal, it has encountered another setback. In view of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country, the makers of the long-awaited drama Jersey, starring Shahid Kapoor and Mrunal Thakur, have opted to postpone the film's release.
The film is a remake of the 2019 Telugu hit of the same name starring Nani.
The decision comes in the wake of an announcement by the state government of Delhi about shutting down cinema halls, among other things, to forestall yet another COVID-19 wave in the region.
Schools, cinemas, gyms shut in Delhi, shops in malls to operate on odd-even basis as yellow alert sounded in view of rising Covid cases: DDMA
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 28, 2021
The makers of Jersey issued a statement that read, 'In view of the current circumstances and new COVID guidelines, we have decided to postpone the theatrical release of our film Jersey. We have received immense love from you all so far and want to thank you all for everything. Until then everyone please stay safe and healthy, and wishing you all the best for the new year ahead!! Team Jersey! (sic).'
When the project was announced back in October 2019, the makers had tentatively set 28 August 2020 as the release date. However, that was not to be owing to the pandemic and in January 2021 it was announced that the drama would be out on Diwali, 5 November. But to avoid clashing with other major films, notably Sooryavanshi (2021), the project's release was postponed again, to 31 December.
While there were rumours at one point that the makers of Gowtham Tinnanuri's film would opt for an OTT release, the producers have decided against this.
Jersey, which also features Pankaj Kapur, has been produced by Aman Gill, Dil Raju and S Naga Vamsi.