As the industry braces itself for the impending clash, whispers have begun circulating that Karan Johar‘s film ‘Yodha‘, starring Sidharth Malhotra, which was originally set to hit screens on December 15, might be making a strategic retreat.A report on Bollywood Hungama states that although KJo’s film would enjoy a week at the box office before the two films clash, he allegedly stands a risk of losing screens when the two films are released. This promoted the makers of the action flick to make a calculated decision to move the release. According to the reports, the Distributors of ‘Dunki’ and ‘Salaar’ were also faced with a challenging proposition as the theatres wouldn’t want to relinquish ‘Yodha’ screenings, especially if the film performed well.
Karan, reportedly chose to back down out of ‘respect’ for Shah Rukh Khan and Prabhas. Last month, the director famously lashed out at the makers of Katrina Kaif’s ‘Merry Chirstmas’ for clashing with his release date, especially at a time when Bollywood is struggling to score hits at the box office.
The new release date for ‘Yodha’ remains uncertain. It is unclear if the film will now release on December 8, or if it will postpone its release to 2024.
In another report, the involvement of distributor Anil Thadani’s AA Films, who is backing ‘Salaar’. According to reports, Thandani is also handling the release of Ranbir Kapoor‘s ‘Animal‘ that is slated to release on December 1. Buzz is that ‘Dunki’ team fears that AA Films might coerce theatres into prioritizing ‘Salaar’ over ‘Dunki’ for a chance to screen ‘Animal’. This practice has been observed in the past as well.
With doubts over this deal, the report states that senior executives from Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment reached out to the distributors, seeking assurances that such “arm-twisting tactics” would not come into play. Should there be a clash on December 22, the makers Dunki want to ensure that the stage was set for a fair fight.
Shah Rukh Khan is currently ruling the Indian box office by scoring two Rs 1,000 crore movies in a single year. Should ‘Dunki’ enjoy similar success, it would mark a historic run for SRK.
Prabhas, on the other hand, also has a lot to look forward to as he awaits the release of ‘Salar’ and will follow it up with the release of ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ on January 12, 2024.
