It’s all systems go for the beleaguered epic Padmavati now titled Padmavat. Yes, a release date has finally been locked in, and it’s January 25th the coveted Republic Day weekend when Akshay Kumar’s R Balki starrer Pad Man, not to mention Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary were already scheduled.

In fact when rumours of a January 25 release began doing the rounds for Padmavat, Akshay Kumar swiftly rescheduled Pad Man from January 26 to January 25. Many in the film trade dismissed the January 25 release date for Padmavat as purely conjectural.

In fact a source very closely connected with Pad Man still can’t believe Padmavat is jumping the queue to make it for Republic Day. “It’s insanity. We announced the release date for Pad Man six month ago. Now for them to jump in with Padmavat at this late hour is absurd. I am still hoping they will change their mind and release later.”

However, Padmavat is now confirmed for January 25. A source very close to the film says, “It’s January 25 for us. We’ve waited too long. We can’t wait any more. Huge financial stakes are involved.”

Trade pundits are shocked at the sudden turn of events at the box office. Says Atul Mohan, “No doubt if this happens and Padmavat or Padmavati actually releases on January 25, then the party plans of Pad Man and Aiyaary will be washed out. The hype and curiosity surrounding Padmavat is so huge that I doubt anybody would try to take a chance. But looking at the technical part, both Pad Man and Aiyaary have already started blocking and securing single screens for 2 weeks at least. That would mean lesser screens for Padmavat and the battle begins at plexes for showcasing.”