To ensure his film Zero gets an open box office run, Shah Rukh Khan makes Riteish Deshmukh reschedule his Marathi movie's release
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; November 7, 2018)

Looks like Shah Rukh Khan doesn't want to take a chance with his next, Zero. Let alone a clash with a rival Hindi film, the superstar has ensured that his ambitious drama does not lock horns with a regional offering either — Khan has made Riteish Deshmukh reschedule his Marathi production, Mauli, which was initially slated to hit the marquee on December 21.

Recently, Khan tagged Deshmukh in his tweet that read, "Thank you baby for the love respect and largesse of heart you showed me today. I am so happy to have 'asked' something of a friend who kept my self-respect higher than his own need (sic)." It emerged yesterday that Khan was thanking Deshmukh for having paved the way for Zero's solo release.

A source reveals, "Considering Ranveer Singh's Simmba releases a week after Zero, Shah Rukh will have to let go of a fair number of screens in the second week. So, he was keen that no film eat into the box-office collections of Zero in its first week."

Featuring Saiyami Kher and him, Mauli was announced by Deshmukh in April. When asked if Mauli would have posed a threat to Zero, trade analyst Amod Mehra said, "Considering Riteish's earlier productions [Balak Palak, Lai Bhari and Faster Fene] have done well, there would have been an audience for Mauli, too. Several theatre owners in the interiors of Maharashtra, would have opted for it. Having said that, it would not have caused a big dent in Zero's collections."

Point out how the Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma starrer will find a rival in Simmba, and Mehra says, "It would have been beneficial for Zero to release on December 14; it would've got a clear two-week run."