Anguished Rakesh Roshan terms Raees-Kaabil clash 'unethical'

Read what the noted filmmaker has to say

Looks like noted Bollywood filmmaker Rakesh Roshan is not too pleased about the upcoming Raees-Kaabil clash.

Despite his attempts at salvaging the situation, it looks as if the two flicks will hit screens around the same time. SRK starrer Raees is set to release on January 25 while Roshan's Kaabil will come out a day later on January 26.



Speaking exclusively to the Indian Express, an anguished Roshan shared his side of the story. "This February, I planned the release of Kaabil. My film was getting over in August. I had October, November and December to release the film. But when I saw all the films which were releasing on these dates, I said I will not want to clash and so I looked into January then. In January, we had a clean slate. So we announced the film in January."



He went on to add, "Now all of a sudden in the last month or so, I also learnt that they  were also planning to come on the same date. So I met Shah Rukh Khan and explained it to him that there is a well and we both are jumping into it. Because there is a box-office limitation of not crossing INR300 crore, either you will be at  INR170 crore and I at INR130 crore or vice versa. I also told him Hrithik is not your contemporary. Your contemporaries are Salman Khan and Aamir Khan who have already crossed INR300 crore. So it is better that we don’t clash and you choose some other date. He understood and then he again announced it to clash with our film. I met him again and tried to tell him but again and again when I met him, I got the impression that they were thinking that I am scared and that is why I am telling all these things. On the contrary, I was as a businessman trying to tell them that two big films should not come together."

Rakesh is now calling the development unethical, "It is unethical (to clash). I could have come with Befikre. I could have come with Dangal. But I didn’t do that because that is not ethical. So I went to January but if they don’t understand the business part, I have no idea what they are thinking right now. Maybe they must have seen something intelligent which I am not able to see. I can’t say anything else because I am clean. I am all clean. God is with me. Let’s see what happens. I have mentally decided now that this is going to be a film business and nothing more than that. And even for SRK, I know how much the business will be. So if his film is better, it will do INR170 or 180 crore and I will do  INR120 or 130 crore or vice versa. But in no way, we will cross  INR300 crore."

When reached for comments, SRK justified saying, "We had decided with our exhibitors and distributors a long time back, when we got to know that about the clash on January 26, that we will release the film a day before. I think Hrithik’s flick releases in evening shows while Raees comes out with regular shows."

He further added,  "It is a logical decision as it is a holiday next day and we can have the advantage of people coming and watching the film."

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