Lion roar delayed?

Superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna-starrer ‘Lion’, which was all poised for a release on May 1, may not make it on the date. Apparently, the film has failed to attract the business it was meant to and the producer Rudrapati Ramana Rao is not in a hurry to sell the film at a take away price.

A source points out, “Especially in Nizam, the business has not been up to the mark. The producer’s price is not meeting the distributor’s price and it is understandable considering Balayya – despite the fact that his earlier film, ‘Legend’, was a hit – doesn’t command a great following in the area as compared to Seema and Andhra.”

The source adds, “The distributors are playing the waiting game for now to see whether the producer will budge or not. If he doesn’t, they are likely to opt for ‘Uttama Villain’ or ‘Daagudumootha Dandakor’ which are scheduled to hit screens on May Day. In this scenario, ‘Lion’ may be pushed to the second or third week of May.”

However, when contacted, film’s director Satya Deva played down the story. “No, nothing of that sort is happening. When there’s a movie release, several things do happen. But all that is insignificant,” he said.

On being asked whether the film will make it on May 1 or not, he replied, “Discussions are on to release the film on the announced date. However, a clear picture regarding this will be out by Wednesday. We are through with post-production and the trailer has garnered good response.The film sees Trisha and Radhika Apte alongside Balakrishna.