Pippa on OTT: Is Ishaan Khatter-Mrunal Thakur's war drama skipping its theatrical release?

After being scheduled for release on December 2, 2022, Ishaan Khatter's next film, Pippa, has been pushed back more than four months. The period drama, which is based on the Battle of Garibpur during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, has been delayed many times without any word on when it could finally be released.

According to Mid Day, this change has happened (VPF) because of Ronnie Screwvala's lawsuit against four national multiplex chains for anti-competitive conspiracy over the unfair imposition of the virtual print fee. Ronnie, who is producing Pippa with Siddharth Roy Kapur, had filed a complaint with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) against multiplexes that require producers and distributors to pay Rs 20,000 for every film shown at every property as VPF. He said that this was an unfair and draconian charge that multiplex chains were making producers and distributors pay.

Although the CCI at the time stated that Ronnie could not provide proof of the charges, the trade source insists that the producer's business with the multiplex chains has not been entirely smooth ever since this issue.

A source told the tabloid that the people who made Pippa have spent a lot of money and time to make it a great product, so they want to make a deal with a streaming service soon.

This movie, Pippa, is based on the war memoir The Blazing Chaffees by Brigadier Balram Singh Mehta. It tells the story of the hard 48-hour Battle of Garibpur, which happened on the eastern front during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 and set the stage for the next battle. The PT-76, a superb Russian amphibious combat tank that was affectionately known as "Pippa" because it floated on the water like an empty ghee da dabba, is a reference to the 45th Cavalry tank unit under Brigadier General Mehta.

In a struggle for the freedom of another country, the young Mehta and our country both come of age as characters in the film. Capt. Mehta rises to the challenge and leads his troops to victory, paving the way for India's eventual success.