Chennai: Actor-filmmaker Dhanush has announced that his upcoming Tamil film ‘OM’ will not release on its previously scheduled date of October 16, saying the decision was taken out of respect for Rajinikanth's film, which is set to hit screens a day earlier.

In a statement, Dhanush said the team faced challenges while deciding on the release date and chose to postpone OM as Rajinikanth's film is scheduled to arrive on October 15.

"In times like these, shifting the release of a film comes with its own set of challenges. Our superstar, Rajinikanth sir, the man whom we have all admired and worshipped over the years has his film arriving on October 15th, just a day before ours. Out of immense respect for him, we have decided to postpone the release of our film, OM, to a later date."

Dhanush also said Om would not be released during Diwali this year, as Suriya's film has already been announced for the festival.

"At the same time, we will not be arriving for Diwali this year either, as Suriya sir's film has already been announced for the same date. In all fairness, they announced their date first, and we strongly believe that big films should have a mutual understanding and respect each other's decisions, keeping the larger welfare of cinema and the industry in mind."

The actor-filmmaker said the new release date for OM would be announced soon.

"We will announce our new release date very soon."

OM is written and directed by Rajkumar Periasamy. The film stars Dhanush alongside Mammootty, Naseeruddin Shah, Sai Pallavi, Sreeleela and Indrans.

The film was announced in November 2024 under the tentative title D55, referring to Dhanush's 55th film as a lead actor. It is produced by Wunderbar Films and RTake Studios.

OM was initially scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on October 16, 2026.