It’s official: Laxmmi Bomb, Bhuj: The Pride of India and five others to release on Disney+ Hotstar

As many as seven unreleased Bollywood films will premiere directly on Disney+ Hotstar between July to October, the platform officially announced today. These include Dil Bechara, Laxmmi Bomb, Bhuj: The Pride of India, Sadak 2, The Big Bull, Lootcase, and Khuda Haafiz. While Dil Bechara will be available even to non-subscribers from July 24 in honour of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput, the other titles will be available on Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex, an initiative launched to keep viewers entertained during the pandemic. 

In a virtual press conference, Uday Shankar, President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India, said, “Because of the pandemic, people are locked down at home and need movies. We have used this opportunity to create a network of virtual theatres for films that will premiere directly on Disney+ Hotstar.” 

Sharing the poster of Laxmmi Bomb, Akshay Kumar said, “Horror-comedy is my favourite genre. I had previously done Bhool Bhulaiyaa in this space. I had heard the story of Laxmmi Bomb long back and always wanted to get it made. It’s my passion project and I want to thank my producers Shabina Khan and Tusshar Kapoor, and our director Raghava Lawrence.” 

Ajay Devgn said the pandemic has allowed films to reach a wider viewership due to digital releases. Speaking about Bhuj: The Pride of India, the actor-producer said, “After Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, this is another film based on real events and characters. I’m playing the role of a squadron leader (Vijay Karnik). The film is about an episode where, within 24 hours, these people saved Bhuj from getting destroyed. It’s a big-scale film.” Besides Ajay, the cast includes Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Rana Daggubati, Nora Fatehi and others. 

Abhishek Bachchan plays a stoke broker in The Big Bull. The film is inspired by the Harshad Mehta securities scam of 1992. “It’s a rags-to-riches story set in Mumbai,” Abhishek shared. “It’s about the fact that if you want something in life and work hard, you will get it.” The film also stars Ileana D'Cruz, Nikita Dutta and Sohum Shah.