Gaurav Dubey (MID-DAY; June 22, 2015)

We had reported that Rohit Shetty’s, Dilwale and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s, Bajirao Mastani will clash at the box-office in December.

However, if the latest buzz is to be believed then the confrontation might be avoided as Bhansali is planning to postpone the release of his film to 2016. According to a source, “Dilwale will see Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol share screen space after a gap of five years — their last release together was My Name is Khan (2010) — and there will obviously be hype around it. Bhansali doesn’t want to take chances with Bajirao Mastani and is therefore planning to push the release of the film ahead.

“Yes, the release of Bajirao Mastani is being pushed ahead. The film is Bhansali’s dream project and the director is aiming for a solo release in 2016,” adds the source.

According to an industry source, “In 2007, when Bhansali’s film, Saawariya released alongside SRK’s, Om Shanti Om, the former bombed at the box-office. Also, whenever a film is released against an SRK starrer, it fails to set the cash registers ringing. So, Bhansali might change the release of Bajirao Mastani so that history is not repeated.”

When contacted Sanjay Leela Bhansali remained unavailable for comment.