'Liger' Hindi release pushed back; here's new date, runtime, certification
Vijay Deverakonda-Ananya Panday starrer Liger has been dominating headlines ever since its trailer dropped in July. The film, which was slated to release in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi on Thursday, has undergone a major change. The Hindi version is running behind schedule and will be arriving on Friday (August 26) instead. Ahead of D-day, here's everything you need to know about Liger.
Why does this story matter?
With Liger, the makers are eyeing to hop on the pan-India bandwagon, which has proved to work wonders for films like RRR, Karthikeya 2, and KGF: Chapter 2. Deverakonda's 2017 blockbuster Arjun Reddy has already made him a famous star across the country, so it'll be interesting to see if his popularity passes the litmus test. Liger is Deverakonda's Hindi film debut as well.
Low advance bookings reason behind change in plans?
The Hindi version will have some paid preview screenings on Thursday (night shows), followed by full-fledged screenings from Friday, per reports. Neither director Puri Jagannadh nor the production house Dharma Productions have specified any reason behind the change in plans. However, reportedly, the decision has been taken considering the Hindi version's advance booking numbers, which are currently lower than the team's expectations.
Runtime and certification of 'Liger'
On August 17, the sports drama was certified 'UA' by the Central Board of Film Certification. Its runtime is 2 hours, 20 minutes, and 20 seconds. Liger is an MMA artist's story who struggles with a stuttering problem. Panday is playing Deverakonda's love interest here. The film gets its name from Deverakonda's character, described as a "cross between a tiger and a lion."
Read about the movie's cast and crew
Apart from Ananya Panday and Vijay Deverakonda, Liger also stars Ramya Krishnan, Ronit Roy, and Makrand Deshpande. Liger's biggest highlight is boxing great Mike Tyson's special appearance, who will reportedly play Deverakonda's coach. It's been penned by Jagannadh, AR Sreedhar (Psycho), and Kiran Thatavarthi (Paisa Vasool, Rogue). Vikram Montrose and Tanishk Bagchi have handled the music department, while Vishnu Sarma has spearheaded the cinematography.
'Liger 2' is happening, confirmed the lead star
Recently, Deverakonda surprised fans by revealing that the team is already thinking about a sequel! In a conversation with Pinkvilla, the actor said, "We are thinking of a sequel for Liger but it will take some time." Though the 33-year-old didn't spill many beans, the announcement about the sequel surely amplified the pre-existing buzz around the upcoming movie.
