Mumbai: Director Neeraj Pandey's film "Aiyaari", starring Manoj Bajpayee and Sidharth Malhotra, will release on February 16 instead of February 9 due to an apparent delay in getting a clerance from the censor board.  

"We have been told there are a few cuts in the film. We are yet to get a letter from CBFC regarding the cuts. In such a short span of time, it was not possible for us to do the cuts and release the film in the overseas market on February 9. So we have now decided to come on February 16," Producer Jayantilal Gada told PTI. 

"CBFC has informed verbally about the cuts in the film, which director Neeraj Pandey has agreed upon. We are told we will be getting an U/A certificate. But nothing at the moment has come in written. We will get a certificate once we submit the film with the cuts," Gada added.  

This is the second time that the makers have shifted the release date of the Army drama. The movie was earlier scheduled to arrive on January 26 but the producers pushed the release date to February 9 to avoid a box office clash with "Padmaavat".  

Actor Akshay Kumar also shifted the release of "Padman" to February 9 from January 25 to give Sanjay Leela Bhansali's troubled film a solo release. Both the films will now come a week apart, avoiding the box office clash that looked imminent until recently. PTI