Shah Rukh Khan on averting clash with Akshay Kumar: I have no ego

Shah Rukh Khan

The hullabaloo over an impending clash between Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar during the Independence Day weekend has finally ended. SRK's film helmed by Imtiaz Ali will arrive in theatres a week early - August 4. Insisting that the date was locked three weeks ago, B-Town's baadshah feels box office clashes must be averted as much as possible.

Shah Rukh Khan says, "I have had a few of those (BO clashes) over the last decade and yet, I have gone and requested people to adjust whenever possible. It's understandable that it's not possible a lot of times. When it's a big film on a big holiday, people want to use it to their advantage. It was by chance that the film (Aamir Khan's 'Secret Superstar'), which was to release (on August 4 initially) got pushed (to Diwali)."

Akshay Kumar

Reasoning that they zeroed in on August 4 for 'Jab Harry Met Sejal' since it kicks off a four-day weekend courtesy Raksha Bandhan, he adds, "If the film is good, it will run longer. Most of the films that Red Chillies releases are big-ticket. We are confident about filling up 4,000 screens. In case of a clash, the capacity reduces. Of course, it's always nice if two films get their own breathing space."

Also read: KRK goes on Twitter rant against 'Jab Harry Met Sejal', calls Shah Rukh Khan 'chichora'

Ask him if box office contests turn into personal ego wars and he retorts, "I don't have any ego. I am great enough to be humble." Given the number of films being churned out by Bollywood every year, he says clashes are inevitable. "It could be avoided if we have 8,000 theatres; that will happen in a few years. People feel I say things out of arrogance. But that's probably just my sense of humour misconstrued."

Photos: Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma unveil first look posters of 'Jab Harry Met Sejal'

He explains that at times, it becomes logistically difficult to move a big ticket release from a holiday. "If we didn't have this option [August 4], we'd have to release the film on a regular weekend, or not have it out for long. There are no free holiday weekends in the vicinity for as far as we could spot. In such a situation, a clash would be inevitable. At the end of the day, you are working with colleagues who will invariably have some issues and differences. But your primary duty is towards your film. You must look after your baby first," he adds.