Eid 2016 will see SRK-Salman, both in their 50s, battle for supremacy

Story so far, as we know it: A teaser on Yash Raj Films' official YouTube channel has announced Salman Khan's Sultan is their big release on Eid 2016. That is the same day Shah Rukh Khan's Raees was confirmed for release way back in February, by producers Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani.

Unless the Sultan announcement is Salman's idea of a prank on friend-turned-foe-turned-friend Shah Rukh, it translates to Khan versus Khan. The idea seems juicy gossip for B-Town hacks just as it makes trade experts wince. Raees and Sultan are both films that promise a lucrative kill for distributors and exhibitors. Ordinarily, any Friday releasing either film solo would become a festive occasion for the industry. Two Khans on the same Friday - now that is a crowd. So what does the Sultan-Raees clash really mean?

Put simply, it means Bollywood's Big Khans are going all out to strengthen turf. Pushing 50, Salman and Shah Rukh are aware that the war for supremacy gets tougher from here. Neither superstar seems keen to risk releasing a big film on a regular weekend when collections on an average could be less than half of what a festive first three-day run fetches.

Plus, a whole new generation of actors is closing in, and they are all eyeing the festive weekends. The latest on the Khans is they are friends (for now). In sync, both superstars have dismissed all talk of rivalry next Eid. The trade as well as film analysts are prompted to think otherwise.

In Bollywood where a 100-crore haul is no longer deemed a solid enough status symbol for top heroes, both Khans go into Eid 2016 aware of this fact: Their films might make more money on Eid than regular weekends despite the clash, but the crucial first three days will not set any new record for either. You spot ego at play here. Shah Rukh cannot afford to back out now, since his producers confirmed Raees months ago. Salman is in no mood to relinquish Eid, his festival of choice at the box office stakes just as Shah Rukh has trademarked Diwali.

A bit of history clarifies the ego trip. Salman's monopoly over Eid was disturbed when Shah Rukh homed in on the festival with Chennai Express in 2013. Salman did not have a new film for the auspicious weekend that year. Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara! starring Akshay Kumar, known to be among Salman's friends, was originally scheduled for Eid 2013 but the film had to be postponed owing to the Chennai Express craze. Akshay's film released after Eid and flopped. Notably, Salman's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo has been confirmed this Diwali. The act must have prompted Shah Rukh to think he could go ahead and occupy Eid 2016. Clearly, Salman had other ideas.

The Khans last clashed on Diwali 2006 when Shah Rukh's Don released along with Salman and Akshay's Jaan-e-Mann. Despite hype, Jaan-e-Mann crashed and Don merely emerged a hit.

Beware the Eid of July 2016. History often repeats itself.