The entire day on Friday was filled with intense discussions and negotiations regarding the release of Akhanda 2.
While Tollywood’s senior figures were busy trying to resolve the crisis, a barrage of rumours flooded social media.
Gossip ranged from “Everything is settled” to “Court orders are out” and even claims about how much Balakrishna and Boyapati were willing to waive to save the film.
One thing, however, is true: the issue has finally reached a point of clarity.
Court matters seem to be moving in a positive direction, and there is strong confidence that things will be resolved by Tuesday.
Most of the dues owed to financiers have reportedly been settled through different agreements.
With the financial side stabilising, the only step left is to announce a new release date, which is most likely December 12.
Within industry circles, the common belief is that the situation became so complicated mainly because of the producers’ negligence.
When Hari Hara Veera Mallu faced release issues, Pawan Kalyan stepped in and brought in people like Nadendla Manohar, Lingamaneni, and Vishwaprasad to sort out matters quickly. Everything was settled swiftly under his guidance.
Industry insiders now say that Akhanda 2’s producers should have approached Lokesh earlier.
If they had brought the issue to his attention sooner, the outcome would have been very different. However, that did not happen.
But on Friday morning, Lokesh reportedly heard about the entire situation and immediately stepped in — either directly or by deploying his trusted people.
Once he intervened, everything started falling into place rapidly. It is said that he laid out a perfect plan on whom to talk to and what to negotiate.
Who would ignore Lokesh’s word? Outstanding dues generally fall under two categories—principal amount and interest.
In such crisis situations, interest is usually reduced or waived. But such adjustments require the right person to handle the negotiations.
Thanks to Lokesh’s involvement, most financial issues were resolved by Friday itself.
If the producers had reached out to him earlier, the release would have gone ahead smoothly as originally planned. But they underestimated the situation, assuming there would be no major hurdles.
Producers now believe the court proceedings will turn favourable by Tuesday. There was even a last-minute attempt to release the film with Saturday morning shows, but it was not feasible.
If the release is pushed by just a week, Netflix holder of the OTT rights - reportedly has no objections. This makes December 12 the strongest possible release date.
Releasing on December 19 is difficult because Avatar is slated for that weekend. If they try for Christmas (Dec 25), the team must renegotiate with Netflix again.
Hence, December 12 remains the most likely and practical date.
