The release of the Telugu version of Vijay's "Puli", which was to hit screens today, has been delayed by a day in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana due to financial problems.

Vijay's "Puli" has been simultaneously made in Tamil and Telugu and dubbed in Hindi with the same name. All the three versions were expected to release in theatres across the globe on 1 October. The makers had grand arrangements for the release. The movie had got huge amount of advance bookings for the first day in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Read: Puli movie review

But the buzz in the film nagar is that the distributors have confirmed the delay in the release of "Puli". The owners of the theatres have started refunding money to the audience, who had booked tickets for the fantasy-adventure film.

"#Puli Telugu release: Already distributors confirmed that No Shows for Today. Theatre's issuing refunds. Only If Vijay steps in.. Tomorrow," Andhra Box Office.

Photos: See How Fans are celebrating 'Puli' Release

The theatrical rights of "Puli" have reportedly been sold for a whopping Rs 7.70 crore. SVR Media has acquired the rights of the Vijay starrer. It had planned to release the film in Nizam, while the distribution house sold out the rights of other areas in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to various distributors.

The distributors had planned to release "Puli" in about 400 cinema halls across both the states. They had even planned several special shows, which were expected to start at as early as 5.00 am on Thursday. The movie had recorded an average of over 60% advance booking for its opening day.

Vijay has got huge fan base in these two states and many ardent fans of Ilayathalapathy flocked more an hour before the special show was set to begin. They were all thrilled to see Vijay dazzle on the screen. But the news about the cancelling of the show saddened them. Even the morning and matinee shows witnessed similar scenes of disappointment.

Set against the backdrop of a magical kingdom, "Puli" revolves around the story of a man who travels back in time to a fantasy kingdom to save a queen from a tyrant. Chimbu Deven has written and directed the movie that features an ensemble cast of Vijay, Sudeep, Sridevi, Shruti Haasan, Hansika Motwani, Prabhu and Nandita Swetha.

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