This Christmas, it’ll be Shah Rukh Khan vs. Prabhas. According to film industry insiders, Prabhas’ long-awaited project Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire has officially set a Christmas week release date. The film is set to be released on December 22nd. Salaar from Hombale Films will compete alongside Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu.
Confirming the same, film trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, “Yes. It’s true… SRK Vs Prabhas, Dunki Vs Salaar this Christmas… The exhibitors have received a mail stating that #Salaar will arrive THIS CHRISTMAS [on 22 Dec 2023]… An official announcement by the producers, #HombaleFilms, will be made on Friday [29 Sept 2023].”
Salaar, directed by Prashanth Neel, was originally planned to be released on September 28. However, according to sources, the movie may not be released this year at all. Manobala Vijayabalan tweeted, “According to trade, pan-India star Prabhas’ Salaar will not be released this year.” Salaar Ceasefire is scheduled to be released in 2024.
While an official statement regarding Salaar’s release date is still pending, there are numerous speculation circulating on the internet surrounding the delay. According to reports, one of the reasons for the film’s postponement was the VFX work. Manobala Vijayabalan added, “The team is working tirelessly to meet the highest standards. They are making the final touches on the film and committed to delivering an exceptional cinematic experience.”
Meanwhile, Dunki serves Shah Rukh, Rajkumar, and Taapsee’s firstborn collaboration. According to ANI, Vicky Kaushal and Dharmendra will also play crucial roles in the film. Shah Rukh had previously stated at a press gathering, “God has been very kind we have had Pathaan. God has been even kinder with Jawan and I always say this. We started on January 26, Republic Day (with Pathaan), it’s a good auspicious day. On Janmashtami, on Krishnajis birthday we released this film (Jawan).”
He further added, “Now New Year and Christmas are around the corner, we will release Dunki. I keep National integration. Anyway, when my film is released, it is Eid. I’m working hard, I’m working harder than I worked in the last 29 years. I will keep working hard because now I’m the happiest when people get happy after watching the film.”
Surprisingly, this is the first time Shah Rukh and Hombale Films have competed at the box office. They previously battled when Shah Rukh’s Zero and Yash’s KGF: Chapter 1 were released on the same day, December 21. While KGF gained a new fan base in the audience, Zero bombed at the box office.
