Producer snubs rumours of Raees release date being postponed

Sidhwani rubbishes rumours that suggest that his Shah Rukh Khan-starrer won’t release around Eid, when Salman Khan’s next Sultan hits the screens too.

Although Eid is a few months away, there is already buzz around the festival, as far as Bollywood is concerned. Two big films, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan respectively, are up for release on the day in July. Although neither of the filmmakers is budging from the date, recent rumours suggested that the makers of the SRK-starrer had decided to change their release date.

Shah Rukh Khan in a poster of Raees.

But producer Ritesh Sidhwani rubbishes the rumours, saying, “We are scheduled to release the film as planned. We have finished shooting most of the movie. Right now, we are working on the parts that were left, including a few action sequences that couldn’t be shot earlier due to Shah Rukh’s knee surgery,” he says.

Read | Salman vs Shah Rukh: Khans to fight it out on Eid 2016

The producer also tweeted about it and wrote, “Some people spreading Rumours about #Raees release being moved.. Like I said RUMOURS.”

While the makers are certain about the release date of their films, trade experts say that if the films clash, it might be bad for the business of both projects (they are likely to lose out on Rs 15 to Rs 20 crore each). They feel that the maximum money a film can make in India on the day of release is in the range of Rs 45 crore, and films like these are capable of earning that kind of money.

“Everyone talks about their deadlines, but there are five months left for Eid. So, you don’t know what will happen. As of now, we’re scheduled to release our film on that day,” says Ritesh.

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