PremiumShah Rukh Khan confirms Dunki for December 22; will Salaar go head-on with it?
It was widely speculated that Salaar could be eyeing December 22, but that may not happen now
Last Updated: 09.59 PM, Sep 15, 2023
In the last couple of weeks, if there’s one film that’s been behind most of the speculation on social media, it’s got to be Prabhas’ Salaar. At first it was about whether or not the film was actually being postponed from its September 28 date, which had been announced more than a year ago. And finally, after Hombale Films confirmed the development without offering an alternate date, it’s been about all the possible avenues that the team has to bring Salaar: Ceasefire to theatres.
When the postponement rumour first broke, it was thought that the makers would advance it only by a few weeks. Netizens wondered if a Dasara outing or a date close to it would be doable in October. Deepavali in November was the next best bet, they reckoned. But then there were strong murmurs that the team was seriously considering a year-end release on December 22. That was the date that Hombale Films was looking at bringing Yuva Rajkumar’s debut film Yuva to theatres. It was thought that just as the banner had moved KGF: Chapter 2 into Salaar’s initial release date of April 14, 2022, Salaar would be moved into Yuva’s date and so on so forth.
But the problem with releasing on December 22 is that Prabhas will be looking at locking horns with none other than Shah Rukh Khan, who has had a fantastic year so far, with two major blockbusters and will be looking at closing the year out on an equally big note. Shah Rukh’s Rajkumar Hirani directorial Dunki is set for release this Christmas and there were rumours that it would be moved ahead to 2024. But earlier today, during the success meet of his latest film Jawan, Shah Rukh confirmed that Dunki was still very much a December 22 film. If that is the case, where does that leave Salaar if the team decides to have a box-office battle after all?
On December 21, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman sequel will release in theatres in India in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and between Dunki and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, most IMAX screens will be taken up. The makers of Salaar will want to take a bite out of the Hindi market too, but going against Shah Rukh Khan, given that Prabhas has not had the greatest spell in recent times, may not be a good idea after all. This can only mean that Salaar will move into the new year, where a Sankranti outing could be it, after all.