Padmaavat
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The wait is finally over! The advance bookings of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's magnum opus Padmaavat is now open!

Book My Show has tweeted the details and the first show all over India begins at 6 pm on January 24. And the USP is that it is releasing in 3D and IMAX 3D. The 2D release will be on January 25.

Talking about the comparison of ticket prices -- well, in Bengaluru, it ranges from Rs 256-Rs 580, which is not bad at all. Coming to metro cities like Mumbai and New Delhi, the ticket price ranges from Rs 325 to Rs 2,500. Wow! And the tickets are already filling fast.

For those who don't know, Padmaavat is releasing solo on January 25 as Akshay Kumar has shifted his film to February 9.

At the press conference held on Friday, Sanjay Leela Bhansali said, "You know Padmaavat has faced a lot of hardship. The release date was his. We requested him to shift the release as he is a big star."

He also said, "I will be grateful to him for a lifetime for what he has done. This is for the world to understand that this is how we respect each other, stand by each other. As a fraternity, we are proud of what Akshay has done."

Akshay Kumar too pitched in and asserted: "It is essential for them to release the film as quickly as possible as they have a lot at stake. His need is more than me, I can understand that."

And soon after Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Shahid Kapoor took to social media to thank Akshay Kumar for his generous act.

As Supreme Court suspended the ban on the four states, it has become a sensitive situation considering the consequences. Distributors across these states are hesitant to play Padmaavat in the theatres. "If the situation is volatile and exhibitors are not keen, why will we take the risk of losing money?" Sandeep Singh Jain of Sanman Exhibitors, a major player in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, told Indian Express.

"People want to watch the film but no exhibitor wants to risk a loss to property, which is why we did not touch the film at all," said Satishchand Sankhala of Eagle Films, an exhibitor in Ajmer told the leading daily.

Nandkishore Jalani of Golcha Theatre in Jaipur told IE: "If Jodhaa Akbar, which didn't face this kind of trouble, did not see a proper release in the state back then, who will want to risk screening such a controversial film?"