Films that were released after a long waiting period

Kangana Ranaut and Sunny Deol-starrer 'I Love NY' is ready for release after being stuck in the cans for almost four years. A look at some recent films that went for a theatrical release long after they were ready

They have already been shot and cut to size, but there is a good chance you will have to wait for years — or maybe, forever — to see the movies at a theatre near you. While grabbing a Friday slot is not so easy, there many other reasons that keep a film project from seeing the light of the day — creative differences between the director and producer, non-cooperation of the star cast, issues with the Censor Board, struggle to find distributors, etc. Or, projects that seem viable at a certain time often lose relevance by the time they are ready for release. While this happens a lot with small budget and independent cinema, there have been cases of high profile projects succumbing to such factors.

Sunny Deol and Kangana Ranaut

Recently, there were reports of a film called 'I Love NY' starring Sunny Deol and Kangana Ranaut eyeing a July 3 release. Shot in 2011, the rom-com's fate was sealed after producer Bhushan Kumar saw rushes of it and felt it wouldn't be a crowd-puller. Sources say this uncertainty about the film's prospects led to constant delay in release. In the meanwhile, Sunny Deol reportedly refused to dub for the film, which was shot in London, New York and Bangkok, as he had not received his full payment. However, eventually, it was shelved. Recently, the makers announced that the film would release on July 3, considering Kangana's back-to-back successful films. The actress is apparently miffed and is planning to take action against the makers — she has neither seen the trailer nor has been asked to promote it. Bhushan, on his part, has clarified that the release is not in his hands as he sold the film's rights to distributors two years ago.

Another case in point is Vikram Bhatt's 'Bhaag Johnny', which is scheduled to hit the big screen in September this year after being delayed for nearly three years. hitlist takes a look at this project and a few others, which guaranteed a theatrical release long after it was ready...

'Bhaag Johnny'
Cast: Kunal Kemmu, Zoa Morani
Director: Vikram Bhatt
Shot in: 2012
Coming soon: September 25, 2015
Backstory: The film was announced in 2009 and after a few days of shoot, the film was sent to the cold storage following creative differences between director Deepak Tijori and producer Vikram Bhatt.

Kunal Khemu

Three years later, the latter, in collaboration with Bhushan Kumar, decided to revive the project. Prashant Chadha was chosen as the director while Kunal Kemmu replaced Karan Singh Grover. Iranian actress Mandana Karimi will be seen in a pivotal role while Vikram has a cameo appearance as a genie. Says the director, “The film was stuck due to the on going dispute with ASA Productions. I am glad that it is releasing now.”

'Ugly'
Cast: Rahul Bhat, Ronit Roy, Tejaswini Kolhapure
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Shot in: 2012
Released: December 26, 2014
Backstory: While Kashyap had intended to take the film to theatres in mid 2013, a disagreement with the Censor Board over the 'No-smoking' disclaimer put brakes on its release.

Ronit Roy in Ugly

The director had suggested that curbing tobacco use was the health ministry's lookout and films should not be a medium to advertise that. Though he was resolute about not releasing the film until the Board decides to trash the rule, he finally gave in after several months of negotiations.

'Rang Rasiya'
Cast: Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen
Director: Ketan Mehta
Shot in: 2008
Released: November 7, 2014
Backstory: Based on the legendary 19th century painter Raja Ravi Verma and his muse Sugandha, the film had been languishing in post-production since 2008 due to the Censor Board's objection to certain bold scenes.

Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen in a still from Rang Rasiya

Another reason for the delay in release was that it was a bilingual film (Hindi and English). It saw the light of the day after six years. Says the director, “Films are a medium that involves both art and commerce. There are various factors linked to it. But I believe if a film is made, it has to be shared and seen.”

'Lateef'
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Murli Sharma, Kader Khan, Mukesh Tiwari
Director: Israr Ahmed
Shot in: 2005
Released: June 5, 2015
Backstory: It was a short film that was made much before Nawaz made his mark. It was later converted into a close-to-two-hour movie. He plays an aspiring doctor who gets arrested during a drug raid.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

It is said that producer Rajesh Sharma had sold the film for Rs 13 lakh to the director, who took on the responsibility to extend the film to a full length one. The makers apparently decided to release the film now as Nawaz is on a roll.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!