Prior to the announcement of Padmaavat's global release on January 25, the Akshay Kumar starrer 'Pad Man' was supposed to be the show stealer, raking the moolah while only competing with 'Aiyaary'. After it was decided that 'Padmaavat' would hit the screens on January 25, the makers of 'Aiyaary', starring Siddharth Malhotra, moved their release date to February 9. So, the only two films to clash now on January 25 are 'Pad Man' and 'Padmaavat'. In UAE, both the films - 'Pad Man' and 'Padmaavat' - will release on January 25 (Thursday), while the former will release on January 26 in India. 'Padmaavat' is awaited by many fans for the sheer brilliance and grandeur that Sanjay Leela Bhansali brings alive on the big screen and couple that with the powerful performances by Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor. On the other hand, the Akshay Kumar-Sonam Kapoor-Radhika Apte starrer 'Pad Man' is a socially relevant film and has a set of an audience looking forward to it after the actor's big hit 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha', released in 2017. Khaleej Times spoke to a few Dubai residents to know which film would they watch on January 25 and here's what they had to say.
1. Prakash Dadlani - Customer Services Manager
Delay or controversy or for that matter the change of name to 'Padmaavat' makes no difference to me and my family. This is the first movie ever where I pre-booked the tickets two weeks in advance. And I'm as excited to watch it as I was on November 30. My preference would be 'Padmaavat' over 'Pad Man' as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's direction has always fascinated me. And he has only raised the bar with two of his last films. So, for me 'Pad Man' has to wait.
2. Tuhina, Teacher
I would watch 'Pad Man' over 'Padmaavat' as the hype doesn't catch my fancy. I would prefer watching a film that makes people aware about a taboo and tries to break it, rather than a film that delves into the bygone past and hardly makes any difference to anyone. I prefer hygiene over history.
3. Dhruvi, Finance Professional
I am looking forward to watching 'Padmaavat'. It doesn't matter to me if it is about Rani Padmaavati or not, because I am waiting to see the versatile performances of the lead cast. The touch of history, fused with entertainment and colours, makes it a must-watch on the big screen. But I would watch both the movies as 'Pad Man' is a story for hygiene awarenesses among females and it is no less interesting with Akshay Kumar in the lead.
4. Nikhat Qadri, Mother of two
I don't enjoy watching historical movies, so I am not that keen about 'Padmaavat'. I shall rather go for 'Pad Man' as it's a new feminist Bollywood movie based on the practical issues women face in some parts of the world. That will be more interesting to watch than a periodic film that has received unwanted attention recently.
5. Amelia Antony, HR professional
Right from the first teaser, I have been waiting for 'Padmaavat' and the delays haven't dampened my curiosity. I want to watch the intense performances of Ranveer, Deepika and Shahid as I think it would be one of their best performances. I do like Akshay Kumar's films and may watch it the same weekend but definitely, 'Padmaavat' will be my preference.
ONLINE BUZZ
We also ran a poll on our Twitter page to gauge the interest of our followers in the film and below are the results. Duration: 48 hours Results: 65% Pad Man and 35% Padmaavat.
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