Dhanush has clarified that his upcoming film Om Chapter 1 will not release on October 16, 2026. The actor made the announcement official on Wednesday evening with a statement explaining he wants to avoid releasing on the same day as Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 out of respect for the superstar.
Om Chapter 1 had been slated to release one day after Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2, which is scheduled for October 15, 2026. Reports surfaced earlier this week that Dhanush had decided to delay Om, and on Wednesday he confirmed the news.
In a statement posted on social media, Dhanush wrote, “Our superstar Rajinikanth sir, the man whom we have all looked up to and worshipped over the years, has his film releasing on October 15th and ours is slated a day after his. We have the greatest respect for him and don’t want our film to come in the way of his film’s success in any way.” He continued, “For that reason alone we have decided to postpone the release of OM to a later date.”
Dhanush also clarified that Om will not have a Deepavali release. Suriya’s film Scene is releasing November 6 and Dhanush said Om will not clash with that film either.
“At the same time, we will not be releasing for Diwali this year either, as Suriya sir’s film has been scheduled for November 6. Even that date was off limits for us, because they announced their date way before us and in all fairness they got to their date first. We feel that big films should have that kind of mutual respect and understanding for each other’s decisions keeping the bigger picture of cinema and the industry’s welfare in mind,” Dhanush added.
More details on when Om Chapter 1 will be released are expected soon. By postponing his film, Dhanush avoids a box office showdown with Mammootty, who is also part of the cast of Jailer 2. Om will also avoid releasing alongside its lead actor’s Malayalam film Kurup on October 7.
Dhanush will lead cast of Om Chapter 1: Udhiram – The Blood Wood. Mammootty plays the role of Burma Karthikeyan, who is known as a smuggler with the moniker Siya or The Elder One. Joining the lead actors are Sai Pallavi, Sreeleela and Naseeruddin Shah.
Director Rajkumar Periasamy last helmed the pan-India hit Amaran. Cinematography is handled by Ezhil Arasu, editing by Kalaivanan R and music by Sai Abhyankkar. Om is produced by Wunderbar Films and R Take Studios.
Production for Om reportedly wrapped around June 2026, with Mammootty completing his portions in late July 2026 and returning home to Kochi. Principal photography took place in Malaysia with Dhanush, Mammootty and Naseeruddin Shah. When the title of the film was launched in June, Rajkumar Periasamy said 60-65% of the film was completed.
Om Chapter 1 is titled as the first part of a two-part franchise. At the time of the title teaser release, it was revealed that Dhanush’s character would be seen working as a woodcutter who illegally trades red sanders. The story centers around a man who rescues twenty Tamil woodcutters who were arrested by police personnel in a forest in Tiruvannamalai.
Jailer 2 will continue with its scheduled October 15 release. Rajinikanth will reprise his role as Tiger Muthuvel Pandian with Nelson Dilipkumar returning to direct. Sun Pictures released a new poster confirming the release date after denying previous reports that claimed the film was delayed.
The sequel was announced in January 2025 and principal photography began in March 2025. Filming concluded in April 2026.
With Om getting postponed, October 20 will no longer have two high-profile films releasing within twenty- four hours of each other. That was set to be one of the biggest clashes of the year. A new release date for Om Chapter 1 has yet to be announced.