Tiger 3: 'We believe in Salman Khan's stardom, so decided on Diwali release', says YRF distribution VP

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif's Tiger 3 has registered a huge advance booking for the opening day on Sunday.

Salman Khan's latest film Tiger 3 is out and it is a rare Hindi film to release on a Sunday. The third movie in his hit Tiger franchise is also the first film in 12 years to release in theatres on the day of Diwali. The distribution head at the film's production house - Yash Raj Films - Rohan Malhotra, has now revealed the reasons behind the unusual release date choice. Speaking with India Today, Rohan said that believing in Shah Rukh Khan's stardom enabled Pathaan to break several records earlier this year, and they have the same faith in Salman's stardom. ()

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in a still from Tiger 3 trailer.

Faith in SRK and Pathaan's record-breaking spree

Asked about the unconventional choice of releasing a big-ticket film on a Sunday, Rohan told the news channel that the production believes reinvention is not required just for the sake of it. However, he added, “In this case, what came to our mind was that it is important for us not to look at the opening day numbers but to focus on what is eventually going to benefit. And, in the case of Tiger 3, we definitely felt that going on Laxmi Puja day, which is considered the weakest movie-going day for a calendar year would be a better fit for our film.”

Belief in Salman Khan's ability to pull crowds

He further said that the reason was the records Pathaan set. “Had we followed the conventional way, we would have released the film on Republic Day, where we were definitely assured a certain number. But at YRF, we focused on the lifetime business of the film and we came a day earlier. It worked like a dream. We got insane numbers. It came from a simple belief that we had made a good film with a superstar, Shah Rukh Khan and Adi, and all of us at YRF believed in his stardom.”

It all added up to the production house's belief in the film, and same applied to Tiger 3, he said. He added that they genuinely belive in Salman Khan's stardom, and his ability to pull crowds to theatres. He also cited the example of Jab Tak Hai Jaan which also had a Diwali release.

More about Tiger 3

Released on November 12, Tiger 3 reunites Salman with Katrina Kaif and both actors return as the Indian and Pakistani spies that they have played in previous parts. Emraan Hashmi also join the franchise in Tiger 3.

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