When SS Rajamouli's magnum opus 'RRR' was deferred from its theatrical release in light of the Covid and Omicron spread, Ajith's starred 'Valimai' was alone in the race of the big release during the Pongal festival. However, little did the ardent fans of Ajith know that they would be pushed to wait for more time to relish Valimai in the theatres. Two days back, the Valimai team has announced that the movie won't be released on January 13 as scheduled owing to the pandemic and the restrictions. 

Though the announcement had shocked the fans, they probably could have gotten used to it as it was not the first time the movie takes the card of deferment. Valimai's first single, making video, and the trailer were released and amid more expectations and excitements, the fans had eventually settled up for another episode of wait. In a statement, Valimai producer Boney Kapoor has said, "Abiding by the regulations of the authorities, we have decided to postpone the release of our film 'Valimai' until the situation normalises. Get vaccinated, wear a mask, and stay safe. See you in theatres very soon." 

Valimai was eyeing a Diwali release last year and it was later deferred to the Pongal 2022. A week ahead of the scheduled release, it has again got postponed with no clear ground on when it will be released. While the repeated postponements had shocked the fans, they also had played a vital role in bringing the OTT platforms closer to the movie. As the OTT platforms had become a significant leg for the cinema industry to walk in the absence of the theatres, the culture of releasing directly online has been nurtured in the industry.

As the OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon, and Hotstar had reported a skyrocketed growth during the lockdown era, many producers have been touching the option of releasing on OTT before taking a final decision. Likewise, days after the release was postponed, the Valimai team was approached by an OTT platform in the bid of releasing the movie directly on the streaming site. According to reports, the OTT has brought up the deal for Rs 300 crore to the team to release the movie. 

However, the reports say that the makers had turned down the deal without a second thought and stood firm on their decision that the movie is for the big screens. The makers had told the OTT platform that Valimai is made for the fans and audience to enjoy on big screens. By putting down their final decision that the movie will only be released in the theatres, the makers have expressed that when people watch a movie on big screens, they would get more entertained than watching it at home on their phones. 

The makers had also said that the delay in the release hasn't eroded the expectation and interest towards Valimai and it will only be released in the theatres. As the movie team has affirmed that the release will only be in the theatres, the fans see a thin chance that the movie will release very soon as the spread of the pandemic had already restricted 100% seating capacity in the theatres. Our sources say as Vijay's 'Beast' will be releasing in April this year, Valimai would either lock horn with the Beast or would push its release further. 

Valimai is produced by Boney Kapoor under the banner of Bayview Projects and Zee Studios and directed by H Vinoth. While Ajith plays the lead role, Huma Qureshi, Karthikeya Gummakonda, Gurbani Judge, Yogi Babu, Achyuth Kumar, and Pavel Navageethan will be playing crucial roles. Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed the music while Nirav Shah and Vijay Velukutty had done cinematography and editing respectively.  The movie is being made on the budget of Rs 150 crore and amid Valimai's delay in release, the reports say that Ajith will soon be commencing the work for his 61st film and he is again going to team up with Boney Kapoor and H Vinoth.