No Dhanush vs Rajinikanth: ‘Om’ postponed to avert clash with ‘Jailer 2’

This October, Tamil cinema was set to witness an epic box-office clash as Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 and Dhanush’s Om: Chapter 1 were slated to release on October 15 and 16, respectively. However, on Wednesday (September 23), Dhanush released a statement announcing that the makers of Om have decided to postpone the film’s release out of respect for the superstar.

In a note posted on his social media handles, Dhanush wrote, “Our superstar, Rajinikanth sir, the man whom we have all admired and worshipped over the years has his film arriving on October 15th, just a day before ours. Out of immense respect for him, we have decided to postpone the release of our film, OM, to a later date.”

Further, the star revealed that since Suriya’s film Sceneis slated to release in theatres on November 6 for Deepavali, Om will defer its release until after Deepavali. “At the same time, we will not be arriving for Diwali this year either, as Suriya sir’s film has already been announced for the same date. In all fairness, they announced their date first, and we strongly believe that big films should have a mutual understanding and respect each other’s decisions, keeping the larger welfare of cinema and the industry in mind,” read Dhanush’s note.

The star further said that a new release date for Om will be announced soon. Interestingly, this also averts a rare clash between Malayalam superstars Mammootty, who is part of Om, and Mohanlal, part of Jailer 2, at the Tamil box office.

OM – Chapter 1: Udhiram – The Blood Wood is directed by Rajkumar Periasamy of Amaran fame. The film also stars Sai Pallavi and Sreeleela in pivotal roles. With music scored by Sai Abhyankkar, the film has cinematography by Ezhil Arasu K and editing by R Kalaivanan. Shraddha Agarwal, Dhanush, and Azmat Jagmag produce the film under their Wunderbar Films and RTake Studios banners.

Jailer 2 is the most anticipated sequel to Rajinikanth’s 2023 film with director Nelson. The film stars SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Vidya Balan, among others. Many actors from the first film are also expected to return in the sequel, which boasts a technical crew comprising music composer Anirudh Ravichander, cinematographer Vijay Kartik Kannan and editor R Nirmal. Produced by Sun Pictures, the film is set to release on October 15.