Apoorva Lakhia arrived at the Mumbai trailer launch of Maatrubhumi with an L-shaped walking stick, a visible limp and an explanation that turned a routine promotional event into an unusual one. The director of the Salman Khan starrer said a bad paragliding landing had left him injured in two places, and that his plaster had come out only the previous day, after seven weeks.
Maatrubhumi releases in cinemas on December 4. The campaign window between the November 7 launch and opening day is just under a month, which made Lakhia’s appearance all the more necessary.
Who was on stage
Khan headlined the event alongside Chitrangda Singh, Ankur Bhatia, Heera Sohal, Dayashankar Pandey and an extended cast. Music director duo Meet Bros and lyricist Shahid Mir were present, as were Azai and Ivarr Ahluwalia, the sons of actors Shabbir Ahluwalia and Kanchi Kaul. The children are making their debut in the film as child artists.
Lakhia did not hide his condition. Asked why he was using the stick, he said he had taken a bad landing while paragliding and was “broken” in two places. The plaster came out seven weeks after the accident, he said.
Pressure, in the director’s words
The host asked whether he had butterflies. His answer framed the stakes of working with one of Hindi cinema’s biggest stars. “When you have Mr Salman Khan in your film, there are no butterflies. There are dinosaurs in your stomach! That itself is pressure,” Lakhia said, according to Bollywood Hungama. He added that Khan is playing a kind of role and character he has not played before, and that he hoped audiences would find that interesting.
At the same launch, Lakhia spoke about the grind behind getting a film off the ground. “For me, I always have to start from zero,” he said. “If there’s no struggle, there’s no fun. It inspires you to do as well as your peers and try to entertain and make a good film.”
Why the launch matters
For followers of Hindi cinema, the event offered more than first footage. It put the director’s recovery on the record, framed the film around a new Salman, and reminded the industry that the promotional calendar rarely waits for anyone. The timing is tight: plaster off, press conference the next day, release in less than a month.
- Release date: December 4, in cinemas.
- The film’s pitch: Salman Khan in a character he has not played before.
- The debutants: Azai and Ivarr Ahluwalia, as child artists.
- The director’s state: walking with a stick after seven weeks in plaster.
The trailer itself remains the next test. A launch can generate goodwill, especially when a filmmaker speaks plainly, but the audience’s verdict will rest on whether the promised new Salman shows up on screen.
Source: bollywoodHungama.com
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