The release of Ishq, the Telugu thriller film starring Teja Sajja and Priya Prakash Varrier, has been postponed due to the “unprecedented situation” caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Teja announced in a statement on Tuesday. The film was supposed to release in theatres on Friday.
The new release date has not yet been announced.
“As much as we were all super excited for you to experience the magic we created through our film Ishq- Not a Love Story and bring it to theatres on the 23rd of April, we are devastated to share that we will have to reschedule the release of the film in light of this unprecedented situation. The situation has only been getting worse since the past week and it will be unfair and morally incorrect to proceed with the release on the announced date,” Teja said in a statement.
Explaining that the team understood the “gravity of the situation” and was “committed to helping and protecting”, Teja said that the team was “exploring options to reschedule the release”. He said that an update will follow soon.
Earlier, while speaking to Silverscreen India about Telugu films’ release being postponed, Priya had said that if the film was loved and supported then it would perform well at theatres. “If the content is strong, I don’t think these restrictions should be a problem,” she had said.
Ishq is a remake of the 2019 Malayalam film with the same title. The original story revolves around Sachi (played by Shane Nigam) and Vasudha (played by Ann Sheetal) who are lovers and are harassed by two men posing as police officers. In the remake, Teja will reprise the role of Nigam while Varrier will reprise the role of Sheetal.
Ishq is directed by SS Raju, and the cinematography is by Sam K Naidu, while the music composition is by Mahati Swara Sagar. RB Choudhary is producing the film under his banner Mega Super Good Films and marking his comeback in Telugu cinema after seven years.
Several other Telugu films that have postponed their release dates in view of the pandemic situation in the Telugu-speaking states. Other films that have delayed its April release include Nani-starrer Tuck Jagadish, Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi’s Love Story, and Virata Parvam featuring Rana Daggubati. It is also reported that medium-budget Telugu films like Telangana Devudu and Ek Mini Katha have also postponed their release.
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Meanwhile, the Telangana government on Tuesday passed an order announcing night curfew from 9 pm to 5 am until April 30 due to a “rising trend in Covid-19 cases”. As per the government bulletin, the state saw 5,926 positive cases as of Monday. State chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao tested positive for the virus on the same day. On the other hand, Andhra Pradesh, as of Tuesday, reported 8,987 positive cases.