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28 March 2024

Salman-Ajay vs YRF-Shah Rukh: Who will be the ultimate loser?

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By Bindu Suresh Rai

Director Madhur Bhandarkar would probably have scrapped his nonstarter “Heroine” had the fodder for a more juicier film industry scoop reared its head earlier, packaged in the real-life saga of the ongoing Ajay Devgn-Yash Raj Films war.

Such is the drama that is unfolding with each passing day, that loyalties amongst film fraternity stalwarts and the fans themselves remains in tatters.

Meanwhile, the two films that are the focal point of this battle, namely “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” (JTHJ) and “Son of Sardar” (SOS), are unwittingly gaining publicity amidst the mud-slinging match.

While the timing for this legal confrontation is most unfortunate given the sudden demise of “JTHJ” director Yash Chopra last month, Devgn himself appears to be a desperate man.

Why else would the actor’s production house send a notice to Yash Raj Films that a complaint had been filed with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) claiming the makers have ‘armtwisted’ distributors to keep “SOS” out of theatres, using unfair competition practices to make way for screenings of “JTHJ”.

Meanwhile, no peace treaty is in sight for the immediate future, with the actor now having approached the Appellate Tribunal for a review after losing out with CCI, which issued a statement on Monday that said: “The commission is prima facie of the opinion that there is no contravention of the provisions of the (Competition) Act in the present case.”

Say what?

The question that begs to be asked here: could this whole mess have been avoided had one of the two contenders in this battle simply taken the higher road and changed the date of their film release, which is scheduled for November 13?

If we rewind to June 2011, it was YRF that made the first announcement between the two production houses that Diwali 2012 will mark the release of Chopra’s next directorial venture.

Devgn himself, meanwhile, announced the same nearly a year later on May 29.

Before anyone awards round one to YRF, Devgn supporters are quick to point out that two big films clashing at the box office on the same day, especially a festive weekend such as Diwali, is not uncommon in Bollywood.

The waters got murky in October, nearly a month before the upcoming release date, when Devgn Films cried foul over unfair competitive practices, even as YRF denied such was the case.

In an interview with Indian news agency, PTI, Devgn said: “Out of the 10,000 screens if they have booked 1,500 and I have 8,000 screens then am I fool to spend money and lose my reputation and go to court. It does not make sense logically.

“Secondly going by the statistics then out of the 10,000-12,000 screens more than 5,000-6,000 are in South where only regional films release.

“Then in the remaining 4,000-4,500 screens 1,500-2,000 are closed... Those that are operational are less.

“For example in Dadar there are about seven single screen theatres, they have booked six; in Delhi there are 21 single screens, we have three. This is something that has never happened before. You can verify it.”

Meanwhile, YRF in a statement had claimed to have booked less than 1,500 single screens, saying: “When we approached the theatre owners earlier this year, they were more than happy to accommodate “Jab Tak Hai Jaan”, owing to their long relationship with the production house.

“No one was forced to include our film in their theatres.” 

Case of bad timing

Devgn, himself admitted that he has come emerged as the villain in this storyline, considering the sympathy wave that has been aimed towards YRF post Chopra’s death.

The actor also told PTI that he had filed the notice much before the death of Yash Chopra on October 21, adding: “I respected Yashji as much anybody else does. We have grown up watching his films.”

He further despaired that the legal step was taken only after messages were sent to YRF.

Fans argue that considering “JTHJ” is Chopra’s swansong, Devgn Films could have delayed the release of “SOS”.

The actor counters that he did in fact suggest the same to his film’s other producers, to advance their film’s release by two weeks, but none agreed.

With Rs800 million riding on “SOS”, the actor was left with no choice but to take action, especially since as per law, once you lodge a complaint with CCI, you cannot withdraw the case.

Who suffers in the aftermath?

It’s evident that as producer, Devgn is stuck between a rock and a hard place. But at least he is quick to point out that he isn’t fighting Shah Rukh Khan here.

Khan, as the lead star of “JTHJ” also went on record to say: “There are enough screens. These are all legal matters and thankfully it’s not my production company.

“I hope they resolve it and on this Friday both the films do well. I have nothing against anyone. I have no problem with anyone.”

The 43-year-old Devgn also told IANS: “The fight is not between Shah Rukh and Ajay Devgn and there is no fight between both of us. This is unnecessarily people has created. Both of us are actors. This is Ajay Devgn as a producer, fighting for his right with some other producer and if people are playing with it then it’s wrong.”

So while this drama plays out over the next few days, the only real loser in this situation is Devgn’s wife and Khan’s good friend Kajol.

The actress has till date, remained mum on the subject.

But considering that a grand premiere is planned for “JTHJ” where all Yash Chopra actresses, including the ones who simply starred in his productions, are expected to walk the red carpet to honour him, Kajol finds herself in an uncomfortable spot considering she played the lead in YRF’s biggest film, “Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge.”

One Bollywood fan on Twitter had simply this to say over the fight: “There is no real winner here; just ego issues at play.”

Maybe that is the case. Only time will tell.

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