Not about who decided first: Shah Rukh Khan on Raees-Kaabil clash

One of the many subplots of Shah Rukh Khan's impressive Raees trailer was the date of the film's release.

The film was initially set for release on 26 January 2017, but the trailer revealed that the film would arrive in theatres a day earlier, on 25 January.

Incidentally, it is the opening day for another big star project, Hrithik Roshan's Kaabil. Naturally, producer Rakesh Roshan did not take the news lightly. Angered by this change of strategy by Raees's producers, he said, "Whatever dates we are taking, they are following us."

Rakesh Roshan breaks his silence on Raees's release strategy

Shah Rukh Khan, though, has denied any such conspiracy. Speaking at the trailer launch, he said, "We had decided earlier that both films are releasing on 26th. This is where we had ended our discussion. Now Kaabil is coming in evening shows. It is not about who decided first. It's a logical decision that we would take advantage of a day before a holiday. Too many stories do the rounds in the media. The official announcement is the one made by the producers. We had decided to announce it on the day the trailer is launched." 

It is not clear whether the strategy was planned before or after the Roshans' decision to move the release date of their film, but what is clear is the growing animosity between the two groups. This is a definite escalation from back in July, when Khan had dropped in at the Roshan residence to try and avert this very clash. A lot has changed since then. The coming year will see a big clash in its very first month. 

Raees and Kaabil arrive in theatres on 25 January 2017.