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While both the big budgeted films Son Of Sardaar and Jab Tak Hai Jaan had been eyeing for a Diwali release since last year, none were really aware of the others ideas.
It has been quite some time that both the films have been a mode of comparison between the star powers of their two bankable stars: Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn. Undisputedly, it is Shah Rukh who might just eventually topple the latter to become the last man standing this Diwali as Ajay can already feel the heat of releasing a film on the same date as a Badshahi film.
While in a recently held press conference for their film, Shah Rukh had clearly stated that it would be unfair to ask anyone to shift their release dates to fit in one’s own film, Ajay had reiterated back with a lawsuit. According to Ajay’s ADF Films, Yash Raj had used their monopolistic nature to churn in more number of screens for their magnum opus ‘JTHJ’. According to them, the YRF team had also lured the exhibitors and struck a deal for the same during the release of Salman’s Eid release this year under the banner, Ek Tha Tiger. They had been made available to distributors and movie hall owners as a complete package.
Coming to Son Of Sardaar, their team has also tried to aptly grab the spotlight by chipping in periodical instances that have aggravated the talk of the so call Khan-Devgan war. With Salman making a cameo scene and mouthing a powerful dialogue in the song, it evidently comes out as a mean of bashing up his arch rival King Khan who according to the Dabangg star is taking a ‘panga with pathan ka yaar’. The team is on a rigorous promotional spree too, just like the JTHJ team who is making sure that Yashji’s last film is released amidst a grand celebration and reception.
With the entire news of the lawsuit going viral, Yash Chopra’s team has finally mouthed some comments on the matter. According to YRF, they have not yet receieved any letter from Competition Commission as of now. So as and when they receive that, they would “suitably represent their stance as and when called upon to do so”. Seems, they have already calculated their measures too. According to the YRF team, there are as many as 10500 screens in the country, out of which they have booked less than 1500 screens all over, which is an industry norm for any big budgeted films. Plus a Yash Chopra-SRK comeback was meant to bring with it the immense euphoria and mass hysteria. Clearly, Ajay’s team was not aware of the super stardom of Shahrukh who continues to rule millions and is marking a return to a genre he has always conquered!
Yash Chopra returned to film making after a eight year old sabbatical post Veer-Zaara and this ended up as his last film, with an incomplete swan song that has always been a masterpiece in all Yash Chopra romances. While Jab Tak Hai Jaan is already making news for the right reasons, people have started raising finger on Ajay and his SOS team for taking the battle a little too personal and having the audacity to send a legal notice to the YRF team, knowing that they are already in a complete loss post Yashji’s death. But there is one section of the society who believes it has been wrong and monopolistic for the Yash Raj Films team to snatch away all the attention.
Ajay Devgn along with members from Eros International and Viacom 18 team met with around seven-eight members from the programming team of multiplexes and made a stance to make them realize that they have created a good product in Son Of Sardaar and their film should also be given a fair chance to stand out. Instead, he also promised all sorts of publicity support and proper marketing help to the exhibitors.
Ajay who has spent a whooping 80 crores on his upcoming masala flick is leaving no stone unturned to make sure SOS emerges as the clear winner in the epic Diwali battle this year. But with the legal notice being reduced to a cheap piece of publicity gimmick, it is upto Ajay to save his sinking ship from drowning in the already set battlefield! As of now, Yash Raj with its Jab Tak Hai Jaan clearly stands out as the choice of the audience majority but it is too early to file any statements.
