Rakesh asked SRK to move his film a couple of weeks away from KNPH but he refused. Aamir's film which opened the week before was also crushed by it. Almost any film opening after it would have had the same fate regardless of subject matter or star power.
It's still relevant though parts of the media are now far worse.
I don't think it's fair to imply that SRK was some kind of douche by not moving his film - I'm not saying this is your intention - but it's what I got from the comment.
"Dreamz Unlimited" as it was then known (now "merged" into Red Chillies Entertainment) had produced it's first film in PBDHH, there was a LOT riding on it. I'm sure they worked relentlessly with market research to find their perfect release date - not to mention superstitious elements well known in the industry such as numerology. A lot of effort must have gone into getting it right, like most films do, but we know SRK in producer mode is very business savvy and astute. So to change their release date last minute would not be a good look for the brand at the time.
Also, KNPH was initially slated for a 1999 release. It was delayed after Kareena Kapoor waltzed out. And when the first promos came out, if I remember correctly, it was due in "December 1999".
Hrithik really came out with a BANG. We've not had anyone to match that level with their debut year since then. Bravo to Team Roshan.
Anupamaa
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