New Delhi [India], May 3 (ANI): Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar on Monday announced that the release date of his upcoming sports drama 'Toofan' has been postponed keeping in mind the severity of the raging second wave of coronavirus.

The 'Wazir' actor took to his Instagram handle and shared a statement that read, "The situation in India is truly heart-breaking, and we at Excel Entertainment and ROMP Pictures send our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the pandemic.

The statement continued, "In light of the severity of the situation, our focus is completely on the pandemic and on supporting our employees, their families and in helping the wider community. Therefore, we have taken the decision to postpone the release of our film 'Toofaan' until the situation improves. We will issue an update regarding the new release date in due course of time."It also requested fans to observe all precautions in face of the spiralling numbers and added, "Please continue to observe Covid Appropriate Behaviour. Also. please register and get vaccinated when it's your turn. On behalf of the entire team of Toofaan, we urge you to Stay Home, Stay Safe and Stay United. Jai Hind."The forthcoming film was slated to stream on Amazon Prime Video on May 21, 2021. Produced by Ritesh Sidhwani (Excel Entertainment), Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra (ROMP Pictures), and Farhan, the highly-anticipated sports drama is helmed by Rakeysh.

'Toofaan' which narrates the story of a boxer marks the second collaboration of Farhan with Rakeysh after the massive success of 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag', the biopic based on Indian athlete Milkha Singh.

The film also stars Paresh Rawal, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Hussain Dalal, Mohan Agashe, and Darshan Kumaar.

The movie was originally scheduled to release in October 2020 but was then also delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In the film, Farhan will be seen as a national-level boxing player. The movie has been shot across Mumbai at real locations like the Dongri slums and the Gateway Of India.

Apart from acting in and producing 'Toofan', Farhan is also bankrolling the movie 'Sharmaji Namkeen'. The film was stalled due to the unfortunate passing of actor Rishi Kapoor. Reportedly Paresh Rawal would replace the late actor in the film.

Farhan's last on-screen outing was 'The Sky is Pink', where he worked with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Zaira Wasim, and Rohit Saraf. (ANI)