With a few hours to go for the premieres of Sujeeth’s Pawan Kalyan-starrer They Call Him OG across the world, it looks like the film’s team continues to face delays. After the release of the trailer was deferred by more than 24 hours, it seems like the team is struggling to deliver the film, too, if the frustration expressed by the overseas distributors is anything to go by. (Also Read: OG becomes Pawan Kalyan’s first A-rated film in 14 years; removed or modified scenes include ‘child in pool of blood’)
Europe distributors express frustration over content delays
4 Seasons Creations, which is the distributor of the film in Europe, released a press note on social media claiming that for ‘far too long’ they have been bearing the brunt of ‘careless content delivery delays’. “On one hand, we hear repeated complaints that audiences are not coming to theatres. But how can they, when even for a massive, hyped titles like OG, content is delivered at the last possible minute risking premieres being cancelled?” they wrote, adding, “This isn’t distribution. This is torture.”
Another distributor from the region, 3Realms Entertainment, wrote, “This situation is unacceptable. We expect every partner to honor their commitments with the same professionalism and urgency that we bring to every release. The industry depends on reliability, and we are committed to maintaining those standards without compromise.”
Linus Media wrote, “You cause the mess, we take the hit. This ends NOW. If you can’t deliver on time, don’t sign deals. Don’t take our money. Because from this moment, late content = broken trust = no business. We will walk away. And when we do, your films will rot without global screens.”
Tamil screening cancelled in US
Prathyangira Cinemas, which is distributing OG in US and Canada, announced that the film’s Tamil screening will be cancelled in the US due to content delays. They wrote, “Due to unavoidable content delays, the Tamil version of #TheyCallHimOG will not be releasing in North America. However, the Telugu and Hindi versions will be screened across the region as planned. We sincerely regret the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and continued support.”
On Tuesday morning, they also announced that they have only received content for half the film for the Canada release, writing, “2nd half of #TheyCallHimOG still not received. No ETA at this point. We are waiting. Until we get the content on hand, things may not move fast in Canada.”
York Cinemas also pulled out of screening OG, citing safety reasons and alleging that the American distributor has attempted to inflate sales numbers in the past. They wrote, “York Cinemas has become increasingly concerned that various cultural and political forces associated with the distribution of the film in North America could pose a potential risk to public safety and security,” adding, “York Cinemas has previously faced requests by individuals affliated with the distributor of OG in North America to artificially inflate sales numbers to increase the economic value of future OG South Asian films.”
They Call Him OG is a gangster drama starring Pawan Kalyan, Emraan Hashmi in his Telugu debut, Priyanka Mohan, Arjun Das, Prakash Raj, and others. It has music by Thaman S and is produced by DVV Entertainment. It will be released in theatres on 25 September, with premieres a day before.
