Desperate for box-office success, SRK wants Aanad LRi film to be solo reelase

Shah Rukh Khan not only wants a solo release for his untitled film with Aanand L. Rai but also wants no films slotted in the run-up to his big opening. Shah Rukh’s supremacy at the marquee has been derailed by the box office performance of his last few films, from Fan to Raees to Jab Harry Met Sejal. Then there were the clashes. Dilwale’s with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani set back the film by a few crores.

Raees’ clash with Kaabil also meant profits were shared. Even though JHMS relea-sed a week be-fore Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, the film had a dry run at the box office. A trade source says, “SRK wants to ensure the Aanand film has a clean run at the box office. Hence, he is looking at the right date for release. There was a time when no one dared pit their film against Shah Rukh’s. But, that is not the case now. They feel a SRK release is a good date to go for because his films were not bagging the sweepstakes like before,” says a trade source.