Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar break silence on avoiding Independence Day clash

16 Sep 2017

Shah Rukh Khan was a part of 2017s big clash earlier this year when his gangster drama Raees released alongwith Hrithik Roshan -starrer Kaabil on Republic Day weekend. It generated a lot of fan wars, problems in sharing of theatres etc. Ultimately, both films underperformed not because of mixed response but also because of the clash. SRK was then braving for yet another clash. His film, Jab Harry Met Sejal , directed by Imtiaz Ali and co-starring Anushka Sharma , was all set to clash with Akshay Kumar -starrer Toilet Ek Prem Katha on August 11, the Independence Day weekend. The media and trade were all set for round 2 of ugly spats related to the clash. But thankfully, better sense prevailed. Shah Rukh Khan preponed the release of Jab Harry Met Sejal by a week. It is now all set to release on August 4. Till now, Akshay Kumar had refrained from talking about the tentative clash between the two films. But the superstar has now opened up on this topic. He admitted that it makes sense not to clash with another big film. But he also added that clashes at times are inevitable since there are 180 films trying to release in a year that has just 52 weeks. He implied that the makers should try their best to avoid clashes as much as possible. Shah Rukh Khan meanwhile also gave similar views like Akshay. He explained that he has no qualms in changing release dates of films to avoid clashes. Initially, Aamir Khan s Secret Superstar was scheduled to release on August 4. But it was pushed ahead to Diwali. Once that happened, SRK decided to change the release date of Jab Harry Met Sejal.He also revealed that releasing on that date makes sense since its a four-day weekend, with Raksha Bandhan falling on Monday August 7. Also, he said that he feels his film has the capability to be a long-running film and isnt a weekend-oriented film. Hence, SRK hopes that Jab Harry Met Sejal is able to take advantage in second week as well, which has a big holiday on Tuesday August 15 (Independence Day). After a spate of ugly clashes, it is great to see two biggies mutually trying to avoid clashes. We hope this continues for a long time in Bollywood.