SRK's Dunki vs Prabhas's Salaar release clash on Christmas 2023 seems quite unlikely if you looked close

Indian cinema is having a fruitful 2023 so far, and the excitement is about to get wilder, it seems, after reports started floating on social media about Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki having a Christmas 2023 release clash with Prabhas's Salaar. 

What

After Pathaan and Jawan, King Khan is set for an attempt to extend his successful return to the big screen even further with Dunki, which is also his maiden collaborative project with 3 Idiots and PK director Rajkumar Hirani. 

• However, the Internet went berserk after reports started surfacing about Dunki’s release clashing with another highly anticipated movie of this year, Salaar, starring Bahubaali actor Prabhas.
• Prabhas's Salaar is one of the much anticipated South Indian movies of this year, but no one would have imagined this gang-crime movie to have a release clash with SRK's Dunki.
• The last few box office dissapointments have left Prabhas longing for a hit, but the conversation flips completely if it has to compete with SRK's current box office dominance.

Shah Rukh fans have been quite amped up ever since Rajkumar Hirani and SRK announced their collaborative project, Dunki.

The kind of response both Pathaan and Jawan has recieved thoughout the country and in the world, it might prove very risky for Salaar to gather a healthy business if it releases even a week around Dunki. 

Why does a clash seem unlikely?

There are a certain number of reasons why reports of a clash have a considerable probability to turn out untrue:

• Neither of the projects will look for a big-movie clash that might cost them a massive business opportunity; and that too, on Christmas. 
• Both the films have a projected earning of Rs 1,000 crore worldwide, which is actually too much of a gamble if one were to look closely. 
• Prabhas certainly has not seen any success since Bahubaali 2, despite some big-budget projects, and the actor will probably not be eager to compete with SRK, who already has two 1000-crore blockbusters in a single year. 

• Rajkumar Hirani is renowned for his works in the drama genre and it is likely that Dunki will be the same. SRK’s last two movies: Jawan and Pathaan were both action/thrillers, making Dunki a deviation from his tried-and-tested success route. Both SRK and Hirani will surely avoid taking any chances with audience acceptance. 

Is it for real? 

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the news of these two movies having a release clash, but an official announcement from either project is awaited. 

On the other hand, Prabhaas is once again coming back to the mass-movie story with Salaar.

In this seemingly action-packed gritty story, the Bahubaali actor reportedly plays a gang leader who fights with other gangs to fulfill a promise made to his dying friend. 

Internet weighs in

X has been flooded with posts and memes ever since this news broke, with fans eagerly waiting for confirmation from both sides. 

This year has certainly been the reviving year for Indian cinema, with multiple movies performing considerably well at the box office. The one leading the list is most definitely Shah Rukh Khan’s September release, Jawan. 

SRK’s return to the big screen after a four-year sabbatical happened earlier this year, with Pathaan. Both of his new releases, Pathaan and Jawan, have earned more than Rs 1,000 crore each, worldwide.