Irrfan Khan plays down box-office clash with Amitabh Bachchan

They are actors known more for their performances than box-office numbers. However, come June 10, Irrfan Khan and Amitabh Bahchan will be awaiting the response from the audience when they clash against each other. Khan’s Madaari will compete with Bachchan’s TE3N.

Now, this battle isn’t in a SRK vs Salman mode, but nevertheless it is going to be a battle of pride more than the box-office numbers. Last year, Irrfan and Bachchan starred in Sujoy Ghosh’s slice of life saga Piku. While the film went on to bag several awards, Irrfan, despite being widely praised, didn’t bag any major honour. Amitabh Bachchan won a national award and Deepika Padukone bagged the Filfmare best actress award for the film, but Irrfan had nothing to show for his effort.

There was buzz that Khan was shocked and displeased that he didn’t get much recognition.  The actor had recently commented on the snub. “Some people with power and resources manipulate these things. It's a part of the game and works for some time, but I haven’t built my career on this. It's the audience that eventually makes or breaks you, and they know that Piku was not a supporting role,” Khan told to a daily.

 Khan’s disappointment led to theories that perhaps he was looking for redemption by competing with Bachchan at box-office. However, the internationally acclaimed actor refused to be drawn into a battle with Big B. "They are very big and senior people, I have grown up watching their films. We have a large number of audience base, which should be enough to cater to both the films," Khan said in a statement.