Yash Raj Films has postponed its latest release Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar in the light of an increasing number of coronavirus infections in India, the Bollywood studio announced on Saturday. Directed by Dibakar Banerjee and starring Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor as runaways, the film was slotted for a March 20 release.

“The health and safety of everyone is of utmost importance at this time,” the studio said in a press release.

Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar is the latest Bollywood film to be affected by the pandemic, which has resulted in over 1.4 lakh infections worldwide, including 84 active cases in India. Two people have died from in India so far. State governments across the country, including Kerala and Delhi, have ordered schools, colleges and cinemas to be closed. Other states have advised against large gatherings in public places.

The Irrfan-starrer Angrezi Medium, which was released on Friday, was pulled off screens by Saturday, with producer Dinesh Vijan promising a re-release when the time was right. Rohena Gera’s Sir, which was also scheduled for March 20, has been delayed. Sooryavanshi, Rohit Shetty’s action thriller starring Akshay Kumar, will not be released on March 24 but on an unspecified later date.

Worldwide, several Hollywood productions, which were also meant to be released in India, have been delayed, including Mulan, No Time to Die, The New Mutants and A Quiet Place II. The ninth Fast and Furious movie has been pushed back by a whole year and will emerge only in 2021.

Play
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar (2020).

Also read:

How Coronavirus is affecting the release calendar: After ‘Sooryavanshi’, ‘Mulan’ release delayed