Bollywood biggies set to clash at the box office in 2021

After patiently waiting out the pandemic, Bollywood is going back to war at the box office. Brotherhood can take a backseat as far as business is concerned, or so it seems. With big-budget films setting their sights on the big prize promised by extended holiday weekends, box office battles seem inevitable. Be it Salman Khan fighting against John Abraham or Sanjay Dutt taking on Tiger Shroff, no one seems ready to throw in the towel and back out just yet. With so many releases, 2021 does sound like a great year at the movies but it will be a trying time for producers. Take a look at all films set to clash in the months ahead, unless makers shuffle dates:

Give Ajay Devgn a box office clash and he will win it. We’ve seen the star go up against everyone from Shah Rukh Khan to Aamir Khan, Deepika Padukone to Ranbir Kapoor and emerge victorious. But, what happens when he goes up against himself? It was revealed early this week that Ajay's sports biopic, ‘Maidaan’ that booked an October 15 release, would have to share business with the SS Rajamouli directorial ‘RRR’ that features him in a cameo. While 'Maidaan' producer Boney Kapoor has been crying foul, Rajamouli has steered clear of the controversy, claiming it wasn't in his hands.

Eid 2021 will see a battle of the brawn as Salman Khan takes on John Abraham at the ticket windows. While John booked his date for the release of ‘Satyameva Jayate 2’ last year, Salman picked the same date recently on popular demand. The superstar was requested by exhibitor associations to release his film ‘Radhe: Most Wanted Bhai’ in theatres, instead of OTT platforms. Not one to turn down the earnest request, he tweeted, “I understand the financial problems that the theatre owners/exhibitors are going through and I would like to help them by releasing Radhe in theatres.”

Come July 16, and things might get bloody and brutal at the box office with ‘KGF Chapter 2’ and ‘Heropanti 2’ both slated to battle it out for the big bucks. Sanjay Dutt, who is playing a prominent role in the Yash-led actioner, revealed that the film will release on the same day that Tiger has booked for his sequel. However, it is unclear if ‘Heropanti 2’ will stick to its release date now, considering the delays in the shoot schedule owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are going to be fireworks at the box office this Diwali with Shahid Kapoor clashing with Akshay Kumar. Sasha recently announced that his sports film ‘Jersey’ will hit theatres on November 5, the same date as Akshay’s ‘Raksha Bandhan’. While it will surely be a festive treat for film buffs, the same can’t be said about the producers backing these films.