Shah Rukh Khan's "Raees," which was earlier scheduled to be released on Eid, the same day as Salman Khan's "Sultan," may now hit the screens at a later date. According to recent reports, the makers of the Rahul Dholakia-directed project are looking at blocking a date next year.
A source told DNA that the team is eyeing Jan. 26, 2017 as the release date. They have had a talk with the Roshans, whose film "Kaabil" opens in theatres on the same date, and it looks like a clash at the box office is inevitable.
"Shah Rukh is looking to postpone his film to 2017. He wants the date, January 26. But there is another film on that date. Hrithik Roshan's home production 'Kaabil,' directed by Sanjay Gupta. SRK has had a word with the Roshans. There are not many choices left. And he cannot indefinitely postpone the film. He has to take a call soon," the daily quoted the insider as saying.
According to the report, SRK had also considered July 29 this year, which has been marked by the makers of Varun Dhawan's "Dishoom," but eventually decided to let go. For a fair amount of time, he was also apparently thinking of releasing "Raees" during Christmas. The idea was a wise one but unfortunately for SRK, Aamir Khan, who was keen on releasing "Dangal" on Aug. 12, is now sticking to the initial date — Dec. 23.
Earlier this month, some sources were also quoted as saying that SRK was in talks with Karan Johar to reschedule the release of his directorial venture, "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil." "They are planning to release 'Raees' on Diwali. There are two films scheduled for Diwali: Ajay Devgn's 'Shivaay' and Karan Johar's 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.' Shah Rukh is likely to ask Karan Johar to move his film to another slot," an insider told the daily.
"Raees" is a crime thriller, which stars Mahira Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in key roles.
