Bollywood War 2 faces backlash due to its release on August 14th, one day before India’s Independence Day. Is it a marketing errata or is it cautious?
One of the highly anticipated Bollywood releases this year, War 2 makes headlines as well as action-packed teaser. The film got caught up in the controversy on the selected release date.
The teaser has recently been dropped, declaring the film will arrive on “This Independence Day.” However, this clip will later check the release date as India’s Independence Day, especially the day before Pakistan’s national day, August 14th. This unexpected detail sparked a surge in online responses, with viewers questioning whether it was a mistake or a deaf marketing move.
“Independence Day on the 14th? Ours is the 15th,” commented one user. Another joke is, “This film must be for the country that we celebrate on the 14th. Let’s enjoy it.”
Criticism comes at a sensitive period as India and Pakistan remain trapped in the heightened tensions following India’s solid military response through the recent Pahargam terrorist attacks and Operation Sindoah. Many netizens felt that tying together the major patriotic action films on August 14th was untimed and potentially provocative.
One of the virus’ comments in particular pointed out the contradiction directly.
Still, it is worth noting that Bollywood has a long tradition of linking movie releases to holidays and festivals, even if the dates aren’t accurately matched. Films like Gadar 2 (August 11, 2023) and Laal Singh Chaddha (August 11, 2022) have been branded as “Independence Day Release” just for its close proximity to national holidays.
Despite the backlash, War 2 continues to gain momentum. In the sequel to the 2019 blockbuster war, Hilithic Roshan returns as Kabir, joining Telugu superstars Jr NTR and Kiara Advani in key roles. Otherwise, the teaser has received a largely positive response and set the stage to promise a thrill ride studded with high octane stars.
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