Subhash K Jha (DNA; July 11, 2014)

The Chopra sisters seem destined to collide yet again... and on the same date no less. Last year, on September 5, first cousins, Priyanka Chopra (Zanjeer) and Parineeti Chopra (Shuddh Desi Romance) collided at the box office. Back then, Parineeti laughed her way to the bank.

The latest is that the Sanjay Leela Bhansali-Viacom18 production Mary Kom’s release is being pre-poned. The biopic was earlier scheduled for October 2. But with Hrithik Roshan-starrer Bang Bang and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider occupying the coveted four-day weekend Gandhi Jayanti and Dusshera, Mary Kom is being rush-released on September 5... the same Friday as Parineeti’s long-awaited Daawat-e-Ishq.

The sudden arrival of Mary Kom on September 5 has taken the Daawat-e-Ishq team by surprise. A source from Yash Raj Films unofficially said, “We have no clue about this. We announced our release many months ago. So whoever chooses to jump in now, is doing so out of the queue. Our best wishes to them.”

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; June 2, 2014)

If rumours are to be believed, Priyanka Chopra-starrer Mary Kom will now release in the last week of September, thus avoiding a clash with her rumoured ex-beau Shahid Kapoor and good friend, Hrithik Roshan.

A crewmember says, “The film was all set to release on October 2. But the film’s unit is currently working on its post-production and we expect to complete it soon. Keeping this in mind, we have decided to release it early. This means that it will no longer clash with Shahid Kapoor’s Haider and Hrithik Roshan’s Bang Bang.”

Too many
According to trade pundits, too many big films releasing on the same day is not profitable for anyone.
October 2 being Gandhi Jayanti, it is a long weekend, so it is natural for producers to cash in on it. “But if producer Sanjay Leela Bhansali and director Omung Kumar are thinking of bringing forward the release, it would be a good move,” says a trade expert.

It is also said that the biopic will be released in English and Hindi in a bid to capitalise on Priyanka’s new found stardom in the international music arena. The film is based on the life and times of Manipur-based Olympic medalist Mary Kom.

Bhansali remained unavailable for comment.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 29, 2014)

When two or more movies are set to clash on the same Friday, industry factions come together to avert the collision. But this Gandhi Jayanti, forget peace as the the desi Hamlet enters Mary Kom’s boxing ring to pull a few punches of his own. Interestingly, Shahid is playing Haider while his once-steady date Priyanka Chopra is reliving the trials and triumphs of the gritty Olympian. Fortunately, for the duo, the three-way battle is now restricted to two with Kabir Khan’s Phantom, starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif, pushed to early 2015, but that’s not going to make the box-office fight any less daunting .

While Kabir maintains that he will have wrapped up his film by September end, he’s leaving the release strategy to Disney UTV, the studio that’s bankrolling the spy thriller. “I start my next film with Salman Khan on November 9. So I have to complete Phantom well before that. After that it’s the studio’s decision to lock a release date. I am sure they will take into account all commercial aspects before taking a call,” says the director.

Disney officials said that they will make an announcement soon. According to a source close to the studio, the film could be pushed to next year.

Omung Kumar, the director of the Mary Kom biopic, says he’s not sure if he should be scared of Haider. “I strongly believe that every film has its own audience. If the film is good, it will survive,” he asserted, shrugging off the suggestion of shifting the release date to avoid the wrath of Haider. “We are definitely releasing on October 2.”

The spokesperson of Haider said that the revenge drama, co-starring Shraddha Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Tabu is almost complete. “The post-production too should be done in a couple of months. The film will hit the theatres on October 2 for sure,” she asserted.