PremiumDulquer Salmaan’s Salute release postponed, first Malayalam film to defer release due to Omicron threat
The Rosshan Andrrews directorial was set to hit theatres on January 14
Last Updated: 09.34 PM, Jan 12, 2022
Mollywood star Dulquer Salmaan has announced that the release of the investigative thriller Salute has been postponed, owing to the COVID-19 situation and Omicron threat. The movie, which is directed by Rosshan Andrrews and scripted by Bobby and Sanjay, was initially scheduled to hit theatres worldwide on January 14.
Dulquer, who is also producing the film, took to his social media page to announce that the movie has been postponed, explaining that Wayfarer Films “are bound to show social responsibility ahead of our personal interests” and also apologising to all those who have been eagerly waiting to watch the film. “But in times like this we must prioritise health and safety,” he wrote.
The movie, which has Dulquer playing a cop named Aravind Karunakaran, would have marked the young actor’s second theatrical release since the pandemic. Kurup, which hit theatres in November 2021, was a superhit and also soared the expectations for Salute.
The upcoming movie marks the Malayalam debut of Bollywood actress Diana Penty, who plays Dulquer’s romantic interest. The thriller also has Manoj K Jayan, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, Binu Pappu, Saniya Iyyappan and Vijayakumar in pivotal roles.
The announcement of postponing the movie’s release comes just a day after booking for the movie had opened in various theatres across Kerala. Dulquer too had shared a poster of his character on his social media page on Sunday, captioning, “Aravind Karunakaran. Sub Inspector. Fist Clencher. Bullet rider. Crime Solver. Conflicted Brother.”
With a big release such as Salute postponed, other movies such as Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Hridayam and Tovino Thomas’ Naaradhan too could follow suit. Kerala Health Minister had recently said that the State will not go for complete lockdown as it did earlier, but with cases surging, theatres are bound to bear the brunt. Also, metros such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, where theatres have been shut, are also revenue generating centres for Malayalam movies.