SRK to lock horns with Akshay, not Salman Khan during Eid

Salman Khan bows out of the box-office race during Eid this year, leaving Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar to battle it out.

For the last four years in a row, Eid is exclusively reserved for Salman Khan. And every year, he indisputably wins box-office glory.

This year, however, things are going to be different, with SRK and Akshay Kumar pitched against each other.

Audience will have to choose between SRK’s ‘Chennai Express’ and Akshay Kumar’s ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Again’, which will hit theatres on August 8.

With the date not so far away, the two actors are working overtime to ensure they meet the Eid deadline.

“Akshay and the unit (of Once Upon…) have been shooting at nights. They’ve also been dubbing throughout the day to make up for lost time. This way, once the shoot is finished, the film can straightaway go into post-production,” reported Hindustan Times.

The situation is similar on the set of ‘Chennai Express’ as well, with the media reporting on how SRK has even set up a temporary business office in Wai, where the movie is being filmed, so that he doesn’t disrupt the schedule.

In fact, Akshay and SRK have put all other movie commitments on hold and are focusing only on their Eid release.

“Akshay has put all other work on hold. Right now, Once Upon… is of utmost importance. All his public appearances, except for a few promotions for the film, have been restricted,” reported the Indian daily.

While the two big stars are working endless hours, Salman Khan is taking it easy.

His brother, and movie director, Arbaaz believes there’s no point in rushing ‘Mental’ to meet the August 8 deadline.

All Salman’s Eid releases, barring the recent ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, were blockbusters. There was ‘Wanted’ in 2009, ‘Dabangg’ in 2010, ‘Bodyguard’ in 2011, and ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ in 2012.

“For his (Salman's) film to come on Eid, he should have started work as early as January, but they started sometime in March. So it is difficult,” Arbaaz told a news agency.

“There is no need to do a rush job on any film. The stakes are too high, the expectations are too high. So, no need to get fixated because a Salman Khan-starrer is a Salman Khan-starrer.”

Salman is currently shooting for younger brother Sohail’s ‘Mental’.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.