'Dangal' director Nitesh Tiwari admits he met 'Sultan' maker Ali Abbas Zafar to compare notes, avoid clash between Aamir Khan and Salman Khan's wrestling films
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; December 3, 2016)

The parallels between Aamir Khan's 'Dangal' trailer that released this October and Salman Khan's 'Sultan', which released earlier this year, have been drawn ever since the films were being conceptualised. Though Aamir had famously stated that it was a mere coincidence that the year's two biggest ticket films were inspired by wrestling, the comparisons persisted, despite him labeling Dangal as an emotional story that goes beyond the sport. Now, here's the backroom dope.

Even then so, one wonders why the nation's two biggest super-stars, known to be in touch with each other, would risk their only outing in the theatres this year, bringing roughly the same subject on celluloid.

In a chat with hitlist, Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari finally sets the record straight. He says, "When 'Sultan' was being shot, director Ali Abbas Zafar came to meet me. We discussed the stories of both the films. We were happy that the films weren't overlapping at all. I really respect Ali for this kind gesture, because as a fellow filmmaker, he was not only concerned about his film, but for 'Dangal' too. If there were any amendments, which were required in either film, we were ready to do it. But thankfully it wasn't needed.

"Also, comparisons happened only because Salman and Aamir were involved. If they were lesser known actors who had two wrestling films coming up, nobody would have bothered."

Tiwari also feels that box office collections of 'Sultan' wouldn't have been affected if 'Dangal' had released earlier, or vice versa. He says, "Both Salman and Aamir are big stars and it doesn't matter if the premise of the film is the same. They have a huge fan following, and they will surely come to watch them, irrespective of whether the film is about wrestling or set in the hinterland of India."