"Make some noise for the desi boys," said John Abraham when asked about his upcoming film 'Batla House' locking horns at the box office with Akshay Kumar's 'Mission Mangal' on Independence Day 2019.
Both John and Akshay's upcoming films will release on August 15. The competition is even more intense since both are based on the theme of patriotism and are all set to hit the theatres on Independence Day.
"Honestly, if there was a controversy, I would have loved to create it, but Akshay and I are very dear friends, we really get along. In fact, just the other day we texted each other. There is absolutely nothing there. We are just releasing two films on the same day," the actor said while commenting on the box office clash with his 'Desi Boyz' co-star and friend.
Stating that three films, including Shraddha Kapoor starrer 'Saaho', releasing on the same day only means that the audience will get to chose from three good films, the actor said, "There is enough space. We are giving the audience a lot of options to choose from. I can say that my film is good and I hope the other two films are good too."
The actors have shared screen space in more than one film, starting from 'Garam Masala' in 2005, then 'Desi Boyz' in 2011, 'Housefull 2' in 2012 and finally 'Dishoom' in 2016, in which Akshay featured in a guest appearance.
John also asserted that a festival or holiday release is an important factor for him, specifically for this film.
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"I think a holiday always gives you a bigger opening and I think it is very important to release a film on a good day. You can release it on a vanilla weekend also but it depends on the genre. Our release is very specific to independence day. It's a great day for us. We are releasing Batla House this year, we may release another sequel of mine next independence day."
When asked if he is concerned about the division of business between the three films, he said, "It doesn't concern me about the other two films but it concerns me about my film. We have done the math and we still want to release on this day. More importantly, it is not overconfidence. I have a lot of respect for every other film, I am very confident that Nikhil has made a fantastic film. So, we are coming on a good day."
It is going to be one tough task for moviegoers to choose among 'Mission Mangal,' 'Saaho,' and 'Batla House' as all the three movies are scheduled to hit theatres on the same day.
Inspired by the real Batla House encounter that took place almost a decade ago on September 19, 2008, officially known as Operation Batla House, the film will see John portraying the role of Sanjeev Kumar Yadav, who spearheaded the encounter.
Akshay's 'Mission Mangal' is based on true events of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launching the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), making it the least expensive mission to Mars.
Directed by Jagan Shakti, the film also stars Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari, Nithya Menon and Sharman Joshi in pivotal roles.
Joining the race, Shraddha's 'Saaho' has a lot to offer in terms of spine-chilling action sequences performed by 'Baahubali' actor Prabhas. The film also marks his debut in Bollywood.
Helmed by Sujeeth and produced by V. Vamsi Krishna Reddy and Pramod Uppalapati, 'Saaho' features Mahesh Manjrekar, Jackie Shroff, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Murli Sharma, and Chunky Panday in never-before-seen avatars.