Promoters of Allu Arjun's Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo opt not to release film to give boost to Kartik Aaryan's Shehzada

The promoters of Allu Arjun's Ala Vaikunthapuramuloo (2020) have opted not to release a Hindi version of the film. The decision was reportedly taken in order to avoid raining on the parade of the Hindi remake of the film, Shehzada (2022), which stars Kartik Aaryan. 

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh on Friday shared a statement that read, "Manish Shah, promoter of Goldmines, along with the makers of Shehzada have jointly decided to withdraw the theatrical release of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo Hindi version. Shehzada makers are thankful to Manish Shah for agreeing to the same (sic)." 

The dubbed version of the Telugu-language film was scheduled to be released in theatres on 26 January 2022. The decision was perhaps fuelled by the success of Allu Arjun's recent hit Pushpa: The Rise (2021) in the northern sector. 

The news about the original film being released in Hindi sparked concern among the cast of the remake, with actor Paresh Rawal expressing 'shock'. The actor had told the India Today website, "Frankly, I'm shocked by this news. And yes, this can affect the business of Shehzada, but since Kartik [Aaryan] has a loyal fan following and his popularity is huge, it should definitely work in our favour. Moreover, our Hindi version (Shehzada) compared to the South one is much more refined, if I can say that." 

Directed by Rohit Dhawan, Shehzada was announced in October 2021. The cast also includes Kriti Sanon, Paresh Rawal, Manisha Koirala and Sachin Khedekar. The film is expected to be ready for release this year.