The box office clash between "Dilwale" and "Bajirao Mastani" is getting nasty with the release date approaching.

Both the films, which will release on 18 December, are fighting for single screens and multiplex screen counts in India. And if reports are to be believed, then Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Bajirao Mastani" has got an upper hand at single screens, while "Dilwale" is dominating at multiplexes.

Eros International, distributor of "Bajirao Mastani", apparently made a deal with single screen owners at the time of "Tanu Weds Manu Returns" release. According to that deal, the single screen owners are bound by the contract to screen "Bajirao Mastani" and thus approximately 90 percent of the screens have been allotted to "Bajirao Mastani", 9XE.com reported.

Now the higher number of single screens to "Bajirao Mastani" has led the distributor of "Dilwale" to take more screens at multiplexes. PVR cinemas, distributor of "Dilwale", has reportedly convinced most of the multiplex owners to favour "Dilwale".

PVR has managed to bag 60 percent of the multiplex screens for "Dilwale" and this move has irked Bhansali and Eros, reports 9XE.com.

Bhansali wants multiplex owners to provide 50 percent of the screen count to "Bajirao Mastani" due to which the advance booking of "Bajirao Mastani" has not opened yet at multiplexes across India.

On the other hand, "Dilwale" advance booking has already commenced in India and it has received a phenomenal response. "Dilwale" advance booking started on Sunday and the tickets are selling like hot cakes.

Directed by Rohit Shetty, "Dilwale" features Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles.

"Bajirao Mastani", helmed by Bhansali, features Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra in pivotal roles.

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