Industry insiders say, unless the makers of both films meet and work out a solution, the clash between Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees and Salman Khan’s Sultan is certain to take place.
The Raees camp is holding on to the lucrative Eid release date for two reasons. One, their film would be ready in a couple of months, but there is still a chance that Sultan could be delayed. With 6 months to go for Eid, about 3 months of Sultan shoot is still left.
Secondly, the makers of Raees appear to be extremely confident of the film that they have made. Even if Raees doesn’t get a bigger opening than Sultan, producer Farhan Akhtar publicly said it’s the content that works in the long run.
At a promotional campaign for Wazir, Akhtar said “The opening numbers of both Raees and Sultan will be affected, but I think in the long run it is the word of mouth publicity which will matter. There cannot be a better publicity than people coming out and speaking about it. A good word of mouth would ensure a long run (for Raees) at the box office”
Meanwhile, the industry is abuzz with news of ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ star Anushka Sharma joining the Sultan team as the female lead. After Deepika Padukone (who made her debut in Om Shanti Om) in Bajirao Mastani, another heroine who was launched in a Shah Rukh Khan film, would be in the opposite camp.
The contest is likely to be evenly matched, even though the Sultan camp will be holding the psychological advantage after the success of Bajirao Mastani and the fact that Salman has dominated Eid in the last few years.
When two big films clash, the impact of the clash is more pronounced in the domestic market. The chances of both films working here in India is less. The distribution angle will be interesting, as Sultan is backed by all-powerful Yash Raj Films. But Aditya Chopra is close to Shah Rukh, so it remains to be seen what sort of impact their personal equation has on the clash and division of screens and shows in India.
The battle in the overseas markets would be something to watch out too. Shah Rukh has been the numero uno star for nearly 2 decades and the outstanding performance of Dilwale, inspite of competition, has reaffirmed his status as the biggest crowd puller overseas.
But Salman, who was a distant third (after SRK and Aamir) in the overseas markets, took a huge leap with Bajrangi Bhaijaan – which became the highest overseas grosser in Phase 1 of release (overall 3rd). Prem Ratan Dhan Payo performed reasonably well too.
Raees, directed by Rahul Dholakia, stars Shah Rukh, Mahira Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Sultan, directed by Ali Abbas Zafaar, features Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma and Randeep Hooda.