Battle of the biggies! Akshay Kumar takes on Shah Rukh Khan at the box office

Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan

After a face-off between Shah Rukh Khan's Raees and Hrithik Roshan's Kaabil in the Republic Day weekend, 2017 will see its second big-ticket clash around Independence Day. This time too, there is SRK in the contest as Rehnuma meets Akshay Kumar's Toilet: Ek Prem Katha in the box office ring.

After Rustom released on August 12 last year, Akshay claimed the 2017 I-Day slot for a Neeraj Pandey film, Crack. The actor kept his word, although it is a different Neeraj film. Toilet… was supposed to hit screens on June 2 while Rehnuma was always slated to be in theatres in August. The two stars will take on each other on August 11. An industry source says, "It is petty to even discuss who announced the release date first. It is all about whose film connects with the audience."

Trade analyst Atul Mohan says it is "sad" that India being the world's largest producer of cinema doesn't have enough screens to accommodate two big movies on a Friday. "This is one of the factors why we rely on festivals or national holidays to maximise business. Like all clashes, this one between SRK and Akshay will see the business getting affected initially, but in the long run, the film with better content will prevail," he says.

Exhibitor Rajesh Thadani says, "Every actor thinks his film is better and doesn't worry about a clash. Plus, there are few holiday dates; no one wants to forsake them." Exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi feels an I-Day release is always beneficial for films. "Akshay has proven to be dependable at the domestic box office while SRK is the king in the overseas market."