Clash of the Titans

Release Date: 22 June 1990
Aamir Khan and Sunny Deol's films went up against each other first in 1990. Deol's fiery portrayal in Ghayal captured the public, making it a super hit. Dil, featuring Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit as a pair for the first time, went on to also become a top grosser in the 1990s. Ghayal swept the popular honours at the Filmfare Awards, walking away with Best Film and Best Actor. Deol received the Special Jury Award at the National Awards as well. Madhuri Dixit won her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Release Date: 27 October 2000
Aditya Chopra's romance drama Mohabbatein that introduced six newcomers also reunited him with Shah Rukh Khan. Meanwhile Mission Kashmir, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, was Hrithik Roshan's follow-up to his debut Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). Both films enjoyed a good run at the box office, although Mohabbatein nearly doubled Mission Kashmir's take of Rs. 23 crore with Rs. 42 crore.

Release Date: 15 June 2001
Sunny Deol and Aamir Khan's films had another box office battle with Lagaan and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. Both were period dramas; Gadar became one of the biggest films of that year. Despite the stiff competition from Gadar, Lagaan went to great international acclaim and became only the third Indian film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. At the Filmfare Awards, it won an award for all eight categories it was nominated in, including Best Film.

Release Date: 7 June 2002
Two films on the freedom fighter Bhagat Singh came out on the very same day, forcing audiences to chose which actor's portrayal they preferred best. Financially, neither film was the winner. Rajkumar Santoshi's The Legend of Bhagat Singh starring Ajay Devgn, Sushant Singh and Raj Babbar led with critical acclaim. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Devgn was equally honored with National Award for Best Actor for his performance. Guddu Dhanoa's 23rd March 1931: Shaheed starred brothers Sunny and Bobby Deol as Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh respectively.

Release Date: 20 October 2006
Superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan's films confronted each other at the box office on the Dilwali/Eid weekend in 2006. Farhan Akhtar and Khan's eagerly awaited Don remake brushed up against Shirish Kunder's directorial debut featuring Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan and Preity Zinta in an emotional love triangle. Don (2006) was a hit, of course, but it couldn't match the iconic status acquired by the original 1978 movie starring Amitabh Bachchan. Kunder's debut was no match for Don and Shah Rukh Khan.

Farah Khan and Shah Rukh's second film together, Om Shanti Om, blew its competition, Saawariya, right out of the water in 2007. The debut film of Ranbir Kapoor (son of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor) and Sonam Kapoor (daughter of Anil Kapoor), Saawariya was an artistic retelling of Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story White Nights, but it couldn't capture the public's imagination. Om Shanti Om featured another newcomer, Deepika Padukone, who received a blockbuster debut.

Release Date: 21 December 2007
Anees Bazmee's ensemble comedy starring Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Nana Patekar narrowly beat out its rival, Taare Zameen Par. The directorial debut of Aamir Khan was lauded for its sensitive take of a young boy struggling with dyslexia. Welcome was the second highest film of the year with Rs. 75 crore, while Taare Zameen Par made Rs. 60 crore.

Release Date: 4 July 2008
The mid-year releases of Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na and Love Story 2050 launched two actors as the leads. Imran Khan (nephew of Aamir Khan) was introduced in a home production featuring super-hit music by A.R. Rahman and a young cast of upcoming actors including Genelia D'Souza and Prateik Babbar. Meanwhile, Love Story 2050 introduced Harman Baweja (son of filmmaker Harry Baweja) as a time-travelling hero; the film was a commercial disaster with only Rs. 11 crore collected at the box office to Rs. 56 crore collected by Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na.

Release Date: 13 November 2012
Yash Chopra's final film, Jab Tak Hain Jaan, went up against Ajay Devgn's Son of Sardaar in a Diwali clash. There was tension before the films released as Devgn alleged Yash Raj Films dominated the theatres across India for their own release. In the end, both films went on to become mega hits, entering the 100 crore club. Jab Tak Hain Jaan slightly edged out Son of Sardaar nearly Rs. 15 crore over its total gross.
 

Release Date: 18 December 2015
Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's films faced each other again this year. Bhansali repeated his Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) stars Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra to go up against Khan and director Rohit Shetty. This time around, Khan is paired opposite Kajol after five years. Dilwale also features younger actors Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon.