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Even as the Khans are fighting it out amongst themselves for Eid, Diwali and Christmas slots, Shahid Kapoor has managed to sneak in and create a slot of his own. He is fancying the festival of Dushehra no less, what with his Namak pitched for release next year.
“This is unprecedented for a film starring an actor who is yet to knock the doors of the Top-5 club. These are the select slots which are occupied by actors who have been in the business for 20 years or more. So far it is only the likes of Khans, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Hrithik Roshan who command such hold over announcing the arrival of a film of theirs on a holiday. However, it’s for the first time that someone much younger has taken this step,” says an insider.
The move comes with some good backing though. Namak would be directed by Prabhudheva who recently collaborated with Akshay Kumar for his biggest box office success story till date. With the status of super-director intact, especially after beginning his Bollywood career with ‘Wanted’, even Prabhu Deva is being looked at as no less than a star for Namak.
“It is still a major decision to announce a film exactly a year in advance when it hasn’t even gone on floors yet,” the insider adds, “Now that it has been publicly declared that 11th October is the D-day for Namak, the team would have to work backwards to ensure that the commitment is met.”
Meanwhile, it is also being perceived that if the film indeed turns out to be a success, Shahid would be making sure that a film of his hits the screens every Dushehra. After all, a holiday release is what counts most and with Ranbir Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi and Imran Khan yet to finalise a slot for themselves, Shahid indeed seems to have taken an early lead.
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