John Abraham and Akshay Kumar were snapped while promoting their respective films at a suburban multiplex. Photo Courtesy: Yogen Shah

There was a huge hype around John Abraham and Akshay Kumar's films Batla House and Mission Mangal respectively clashing at the box office. Both the films chose for the August 15 window, which is declared as a national holiday to celebrate India's Independence Day. Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor's Saaho was also scheduled to release on August 15, however, due to the post-production work still left on the back-burner, the makers had to postpone their film to August 30.

At the same time, there were reports that the makers of Saaho wanted a solo release at the box office, therefore they took this step. Whereas, John Abraham and Nikkhil Advani were adamant that they wouldn't change their film, Batla House's release date as they are confident about their work. When at a Batla House event, John was asked about the clash affecting their personal equation, the actor laughed and said, "Make some noise for the desi boys! What else can I say?"

In an exclusive interview with mid-day.com, when John Abraham was asked about the best comment he received, the Satyameva Jayate actor took Akshay Kumar's name. He said that he messaged Akshay and congratulated him for Mission Mangal's release. In return, Akshay Kumar replied saying, "I am happy for you too. It's time we work together."

Watch the entire interview of John Abraham and director Nikkhil Advani with mid-day.com here:

John Abraham and Akshay Kumar worked together in Desi Boyz, and it won the hearts of the audience. However, they haven't united for any other project since then. While they are being pitted against each other, their personal relationship remains unaffected. Both, Batla House and Mission Mangal have received good openings at the box office and has also attracted positive word-of-mouth.

John further said, "It's so nice and healthy when the camaraderie is not competitive but healthy. Both films are being appreciated." Adding more about Batla House, the hunk said, "People are loving every moment of it."

Batla House opened to Rs 15.55 crore on Friday and stands at a total three-day collection of Rs 35.29 crore at the box office. Talking about Akshay Kumar's Mission Mangal, it earned Rs 29.16 crore on its opening day. Its total three-day collection is Rs 70.02 crore.

Apart from John Abraham, Batla House also featured Mrunal Thakur, Ravi Kishan, and Nora Fatehi in pivotal roles. Speaking about Mission Mangal, the film also stars Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Nithya Menen and Sharman Joshi.

See Photo: John Abraham takes Akshay Kumar on a piggyback ride

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