Lara Croft Ruins Bollywood’s Friday Binge

Suddenly out of the blue the new edition of the massively successful Lara Croft franchise is being dropped into the Indian movie market on Match 9,  creating panic among the  Hindi releases next week. The hugely anticipated followup films to the two highly successful Lara Croft films in 2001 and 2003 is expected roar across the boxoffice shattering records of the previous two films in the franchise.

So confident are the film’s producers Warner Brothers that they’ve decided to release  Lara Croft Tom Raider in India on March 9, a week ahead of its worldwide release.

A source from the production company says, “We are going for the optimum release in India, and a week in advance. There is a huge market for Lara Croft among youngsters although the franchise was last filmed 15 years with Angela Jolie in the lead. Now the title role  of Lara Croft is played by the Swedish actress Alicia Vikander and  she’s already a global rage.”

The advanced release of Lara Croft Tom Raider has thrown next Friday’s  Hindi releases, namely Vishal Pandya’s Hate Story 4, Aleya Sen’s Dil Junglee and Excel Entertainment’s  3 Storeys into a tizzy. Sources say at least one or two of these Bollywood releases is expected to move forward at the last minute in a state panic.

However Vishal Pandya who directs Hate Story 4 is confident of his film regardless of Lara Croft: Tom Raider.

Says Pandya, “I’m in competition with no one. I run in my own race. If I think I want to compete with others I will be bitter. But I don’t want to be bitter.I  want to be better. I want to make sure I improve with every film. And  I am very confident I’ve made a film that is more refined and resonant than my earlier  films.”

However, a prominent cast member  of  one of  the three Hindi releases scheduled  for next week  is less gung-ho about Lara Croft.“This is a  big setback for us. We all know what Black Panther did to the Hindi releases. We can’t afford  this foreign invasion.”

Wait. There is more. Rob Coen , the Fast  & Furious director is unleashing his very fast and furious adventure-action saga The Hurricane Heist this Friday. The producers are releasing it  in  English and Hindi, thereby offering this week’s three Hindi releases some more to worry about.