Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan just can't stop smiling with his latest release "Chennai Express" ringing the cash registers, and now he has wished the same for director Rohit Shetty's next flick, "Singham 2" starring Ajay Devgn in the lead role.
Shah Rukh's comment came a year after Ajay Devgn accused Yash Raj Films, the makers of SRK's starrer "Jab Tak Hain Jaan" for their monopolistic trend of screening their films.
"I would pray that Inshallah his (Rohit Shetty) next Singham 2 does much more business than Chennai Express because he deserves it," the ecstatic actor told Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) in an interview.
Shetty's "Chennai Express" has been named 'Records Express' for breaking several records, including fastest film franchise to score the 200 crore barrier and beating all time biggest grossing film, "3 idiots".
"Being a director is a very lonely job. So you don't just thank them, you just stand by them. For the film also, as an actor, and as a friend we all tried to stand by him (Shetty)...," said the overjoyed actor.
It may be recalled that here was a huge fracas over last year's twin Diwali releases - SRK's "Jab Tak Hain Jaan" and Ajay's "Son Of Sardaar'. The issue of screening of films and distribution had led to a tense fight with Ajay taking legal action against Yash Raj Films last year. This had resulted in a cold war between the two industry stalwarts
And recently Devgn's explosive interview to Times of India had a similar tone, bringing back the ugly feud just when a similar case has been witnessed with reports of "Chennai Express" eating into the revenues of "Once Upon a time Dobaara".
"Now with people trying to control theatres, and not allowing the other film to get them, I feel like saying, 'Good for you all.' When I was fighting, I was saying that I was not doing it for myself, but was doing it for the industry, but no one supported me."
"What upsets me is you can't con a person. If you have made a commitment, you have to meet it. The industry has changed. Earlier, there were no contracts, yet people stuck by their commitment. Today, in spite of contracts, we have issues," said the concerned actor in the interview.
And it can very well be assumed that Shah Rukh's well-wishing comment for "Singham 2" might be the star's way of extending the olive-branch to Ajay, more so since it is well known that SRK enjoys a great bonding with Ajay's wife Kajol.