Posted:
Bharati K. Dubey | Jul 24, 2018
Kangana Ranaut's off-screen battles with "rumoured ex-flame Hrithik Roshan will turn into a full-fledged battle for box-office supremacy after Manikarnika was pencilled in for release on January 25 the same day as Hrithik's Super 30.
Manikarnika was earlier slated for release this August. A few months ago, Kangana said the release might get pushed. The film was initially slotted for April 27 before being moved to August last week. Now, the final date sets it up for a mouth-watering box-office clash.
Manikarnika producer Kamal Jain, however, denied deliberate attempts to clash with Super 30, a film on Bihar mathematician and Super 30 founder Anand Kumar.
Jain said Manikarnika deserved to release either on Independence Day or Republic Day. Since they missed the August date, they settled for Republic Day.
Hrithik and Kangana have been at war after the actress addressed him as her "silly ex. The Krrish star subsequently sent her a legal notice and demanded an apology. The actress retaliated with claims of her relationship with the actor followed by denial. The case has since landed up in court.
Trade analyst Atul Mohan said: "Looking at what we saw a few months back, it appears to be a clash of egos. But considering the stakes involved, they are dependant on a big weekend, which coincides with a national holiday. Super 30 is an inspiring tale for parents and students and Manikarnika comes with patriotism. At the end of the day, it's only content which will do the talking...
"Clashes are here to stay and we will have to plan our strategy according and our products also, he said.
It's going to be a messy Republic Day for Bollywood moviemakers in 2019. Though we're still a good six months away, there are already four films slated for release on the same day.
There are two other films releasing that same week Sanjay Raut's Thackeray biopic starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui to be released on January 23, the birth anniversary of the late right-wing leader, and Emraan Hashmi's Cheat India is also looking at the same release date.
"This is a perennial problem. There are many big films coming out next year and everyone wants the best dates holidays and extended weekends. Thackeray is going to be big in Maharashtra and the Nizam circuits because of the Shiv Sena connect. And it will have a two-day head start as it is scheduled to release on Wednesday. Someone will have to push their release date to avoid carnage at the box office, a trade source says.
We're waiting to see who will be the first to concede.
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