Shah Rukh Khan's "Raees" was scheduled to open in theatres same day as Salman Khan's "Sultan," which is on Eid. But the makers were keen on avoiding the clash, and hence have blocked another release date for the crime-drama.
Jointly, Shah Rukh and Excel Entertainment producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, have put out a statement explaining why "Raees" will now release on Jan.26, 2017. They acknowledged that "Raees" is highly anticipated and so, the decision to move it was a difficult one.
"It was not an easy decision to move the film. We understand that 'Raees' is highly anticipated. However, a film of such magnitude requires the appropriate showcasing and therefore, we have decided to shift our release date to 26th January 26, 2017," BollywoodLife quoted the statement.
The makers pointed out that this year is packed with releases by "A-listers," adding that movie enthusiasts are in for a good time. The team is sure that the Rahul Dholakia directorial will prove to be a "cinematic bliss," which is why clashing with other films will be "unfair."
"With Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Ajay, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik etc taking away all the holiday weekends, finding a befitting date for Raees did become a challenge," the note ended.
Talking of box office clashes, the date — Jan. 26, 2017 — is reserved for Hrithik Roshan's "Kaabil" and Ajay Devgn's "Baadshaho." Have these films been moved to another date? Only time will tell. Interestingly, there has hardly been any concrete update on the status of these two films. Hrithik went for a look test for "Kaabil" recently; "Baadshaho" is in pre-production stage.
"Raees" follows the story of a Gujarat-based bootlegger's struggles and successes. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mahira Khan and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub feature in key roles.
