Director Abhishek Kapoor says the release date of his upcoming film Kedarnath was decided months ago and its producers are "very much on the same page" as him.
There have been reports about an alleged falling out between Kapoor and producer Prernaa Arora. It is said that Arora is against releasing Kedarnath, starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Saif Ali Khan's daughter Sara Ali Khan, on 21 December 2018, when the new Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, directed by Aanand L Rai, is scheduled for release.
However, reports say Kapoor is insistent. "This is so pointless, and senseless," the director said. "We announced the release date of Kedarnath long ago. We didn't jump into it just because I wanted to compete with Mr Shah Rukh Khan's film. Our release date, 21 December, was decided months ago. And my producers are very much on the same page as me."
The reports say Arora is dead-set against releasing Kedarnath on the same day as Shah Rukh Khan's as-yet-untitled film in which he plays a dwarf.
Kapoor said: "There is absolutely no friction with my producers on this issue. I see no problem in releasing Kedarnath on the same Friday as the Aanand L Rai film with Shah Rukh. Two big films being released on the same Friday is not uncommon anymore. There are only 52 Fridays to choose from.
"There are bound to be clashes… and why call it a clash? Why not see the coexistence of two films on the same Friday as a chance for the audience to see two good films? I am pretty sure Kedarnath and the other film will find their audiences," he added.
Such insistence on his viewpoint is getting Kapoor the reputation of an arrogant and difficult filmmaker. "Who calls me arrogant and difficult?" he challenged when told this. "I don't think I am any of that. I am just a very dedicated filmmaker doing his job.
"Some people may feel I have temporarily lost the right to be assertive over what I think to be right, because my last film Fitoor (2016) didn't work. But I am very proud of Fitoor.
"I made the film that I wanted to. It didn't work because it didn't connect with the audience. I will continue to shoot as I think right. We are halfway through the film. We should be done by June 2018 and then we will ready the film for release in December."
Kapoor is all praise for his lead pair in Kedarnath. "Sushant Singh Raput, whom I directed in Kai Po Che! (2013), has evolved beautifully. As for Sara Khan, she is glorious. She will take the nation by storm. Let the film be released. All the complaints will stop," he said.