Shah Rukh Khan To Lock Horns with Salman Khan on Diwali Next Year?

The latest buzz in tinsel town is that arch rivals Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan might clash at the box office with their respective films expected to release on Diwali next year.

It is reported that Shah Rukh, who is gearing up for the shooting of his next movie, "Happy New Year" (HNY), has zeroed in on next year's Diwali for the release the movie for which he has collaborated with "Om Shanti Om" director Farah Khan.

"Since this is a big film by Farah Khan, Happy New Year can't be expected to be ready before mid-2014. If one looks at the holiday season from July onwards, first to arrive would be Eid. Then there is Independence Day, Dusshehra, Diwali and Christmas," an industry source was quoted as saying by Bollywood Hungama.

"Salman was out of equation this year but would be back with a vengeance as Sajid Nadiadwala's Kick arrives on Eid," an industry insider added. "Sanjay Leela Bhansali is bringing Akshay Kumar's Gabbar on Independence Day though Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty's Singham 2 may arrive on the same day too. On Dusshehra/Gandhi Jayanti weekend, Hrithik Roshan and Siddharth Anand are bringing their Bang Bang while Christmas has been taken up by Ranbir Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap for Bombay Velvet."

The reports of Shah Rukh Khan having locked the Diwali slot for "HNY" comes at a time when rumours surfaced that Salman Khan's untitled venture with choreographer cum filmmaker Prabhudeva might hit the screens on Diwali next year. The movie will reunite the duo for the second time after 2009 release "Wanted".

When Farah was contacted to comment of the release date of "Happy New Year", she said, "We haven't locked any date yet. There are so many factors that come into play for a film's release." She didn't deny having an eye on a holiday release. "Of course ours is a celebration movie. It is called "Happy New Year" for a good reason. We would be looking forward to a holiday release."