Mumbai, Mar 23 (IANS): Actor Rana Daggubati's ambitious jungle adventure drama "Haathi Mere Saathi", which was set to release on March 26, has been postponed due to rising Covid cases. However, the film's Tamil and Telugu versions -- "Kaadan" and "Aranya" respectively -- will release on the scheduled date.

A statement from the film's production house Eros International read: "Dear viewers, It pains us to share this news but given the Covid-19 situation in the Hindi markets, the team of Haathi Mere Saathi has decided to hold on to the release of the film. We shall keep you posted on further developments. However, we will be releasing Aranya and Kaadan in the South markets on the 26th of March."

This is not the only film to have been postponed owing to the surge in Covid cases. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma's "D Company" has also been postponed. The filmmaker had tweeted earlier, informing his fans about the update.

"Due to the sudden severe Covid rise in many parts of the country and also amid continuous news of new lockdowns, we at SPARK decided to postpone the release of D COMPANY ..A new date will be announced ASAP #DCompany @SparkSagar1," RGV wrote.

Reflecting on how the cases are affecting the film industry, trade analyst Atul Mohan told IANS: "Looking at the current situation, it is a good move. We can wait for a little long, when we have waited for so long. In the end safety is the priority."

However, the decision of releasing "Aranya" and "Kaadan" can have adverse effects, too.

"People would watch the film in the South but the buzz will not be lost. There are many portals that allow easy piracy, and transfer of movie links. In such cases, there should not be partial or staggered release," said Atul Mohan.