On Monday, producer Dinesh Vijan’s Angrezi Medium which became a casualty of the Coronova when released on 13 March, was re-released on the Digital platform, Disney Plus/Hotstar VIP, with the producer and his cast members of Angrezi Medium apparently celebrating the release on a video-conference. A shot of the supposed video chat was posted by the film’s leading lady Radhika Madan.
Missing from the re-release excitement was the film’s leading man and backbone Irrfan Khan who has withdrawn completely from the public eye.
Says Deepak who is stranded in Uttarakhand, “Irrfan Bhai couldn’t come forward to be part of the re-release. He is in frail health and cannot strain himself. One quote, and then he’d have to speak to everyone. But I know he is very happy to see our film getting a wide platform. We were all very disappointed and depressed when Angrezi Medium had to be pulled down just two days after release. It felt like our film had been killed. But then the digital platform has proved a saviour for our film.’
Deepak sees lots of Bollywood content making its way straight to the digital platform in the coming months. “There’s no other choice right now. Either films will have to wait indefinitely or go for a digital release which offers a huge viewership. The wait is endless. There is no clear indication of when this lockdown will end. And even if its ends would audiences return to theatres immediately?”