Jodhaa Akbar to premiere on 1,500 screens worldwide

India: UTV Motion Pictures and Ashutosh Gowariker Productions’ co-production Jodhaa Akbar, a film following the romance between Mughal Emperor Akbar and Rajput princess Jodhaa, will premiere on 1,500 screens across 26 countries worldwide on February 15, 2008.

Directed by Ashutosh Gowariker and starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan, Jodhaa Akbar is set to debut in the US, Europe, Asia and Middle East. The film is dubbed in 3 languages; Hindi, Telegu and Tamil, and is subtitled in English, Arabic and Dutch.

In India, the film will premiere on more than 1,200 screens of which 500 will be through digital cinemas and 825 through physical prints. In North America, the film is being released on 125 prints. In Canada, Jodhaa Akbar is premiering simultaneously in 6 states including British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Alberta. In the US, the film will be released at Bal boa Theatre, San Francisco and Culver Plaza Theatre, Los Angeles. There will also be special Citibank screenings in New York, Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco on February 14.

In addition, UTV Motion Pictures has taken pre-emptive measures to combat piracy of the film in North America by having US-based film exhibitors collectively identify 500 retail stores stocking pirated films. Legal warning letters were then sent to each of them through registered mail.