Will Lucknow Central prepone release to combat Qaidi Band?

By now everyone knows there are uncanny similarities between the two on-release films Lucknow Central and Qaidi Band. Both films, whose trailers show a group of prisoners forming a musical band to sing their way into freedom, are prestigious products. While Qaidi Band is a Yash Raj film introducing two newcomers, Lucknow Central features Farhan Akhtar in the lead and is produced by Nikhil Advani.

As far as capturing the audiences attention is concerned Qaidi Band has an edge. It releases on 25 August almost a month ahead of Lucknow Central, leaving the Lucknow Central team fuming in rage.

Says a source in the know, Lucknow Central was written shot and the release was planned months ago. Qaidi Band jumped into the scene all of a sudden and was completed in record time. It s almost as if the quickie was planned to pre-empt Lucknow Central and steal its thunder.

We now hear of the Lucknow Central team trying to prepone its release. Because watching a film on the same theme just a month later is likely to damage its box office prospects beyond measure.