Oh, don't let all their camaraderie fool you. Bollywood egos are legendary. And in their own heads, each superstar imagines that the sun first rises outside his bedroom. So while it may be fine to clink glasses and show each other how “they love one another“ on social media, actors are actually spoiling for fights in their own way.

The latest weapon they have found to declare war on one another is a release date. All Bollywood biggies know that when their films clash on the same date, catastrophe will strike. But do they care? No. It's the law of the jungle - may the mightier one win. Of course, there is no denying that there are only 52 Fridays available in a calendar year and at least 150 films are vying for these dates. It is a well-known fact that dates like Republic Day, Eid, Diwali, Independence Day and Christmas weekends are also coveted because they bring in huge box office numbers.

The last face-off of 2015 between Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale left many people within the trade red-faced. So will good sense prevail in 2016? “No way,“ says a trade insider. He adds, “Clashes are starting as early as January this year. Airlift and Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 have both decided to release on January 22.“

Throwing light on the situation, the source says, “Let's give the devil his due. Even if we do not look at it as an ego thing, clashes are inevitable. There are as many as 10 films lined up for release in January. The month that was years ago called jinxed January has now gone on to become jammed January because of the rush at the marquee.“

If you're wondering what are the two questions on everyone's mind in Bollywood, then they are: Will Raees and Sultan clash on Ramzan Eid as announced earlier? And will Karan Johar and Ajay Devgn bring Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay together on Diwali?

In all fairness, SRK had hinted in an interview that the release date of Raees could be shifted. Will it then move to the Independence Day weekend? If it does, then what happens to movies like Akshay Kumar's Rustom and Hrithik Roshan's Mohenjo Daro? Will they automatically shift to October 2?

Forget the biggies clashing; even debutants may not be spared. It is being said that Harshvardhan Kapoor's (Anil Kapoor's son) Mirzya may have to vie with Emraan Hashmi's Azhar for a piece of the pie on May 13.

Akshay, by virtue of the fact that he does a minimum of three films a year, is bound to clash with more than one hero. If all goes as per plan, after he has clashed with Tusshar in January, his Housefull 3, which is the first big-ticket venture post the Indian Premier League, is expected to clash with lovebirds Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif 's Jagga Jasoos. Not to forget, Emraan Hashmi's Raaz Rebooted also wants a window here.

Producer-distributor N R Pachisia sums up saying two big-ticket films should avoid clashing together. He explains, “With films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, PK and Dhoom 3, we have seen strong solo releases registering huge numbers. When two films release together, the business gets divided. The better film gets higher numbers. I believe such clashes should be avoided as collections get split up and comparison kills.“

But do prima donnas care? No, they continue to pretend that they are the only ones in the orbit. Others with whom they 'party with' are incidental.