'Things Will Not Get Ugly': Distributor On Salman Khan's Maatrubhumi Vs Shraddha Kapoor's Eetha At Box Office

Box office clashes are not a new phenomenon in Bollywood. However on December 4, a unique one is all set to take place. Two films, which have been highly anticipated for quite some time, based on real life stories are all set to face off. The gloves will stay on in the arena. Salman Khan’s Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace (helmed by Apoorva Lakhia) and Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha (directed by Laxman Utekar) will battle it out at the box office on December 4.

And, we cannot help but notice the similarities between these two stars.

Similitude galore

Both have the same initials—SK. Salman Khan, 60, is single, so is Shraddha Kapoor, 39. One is amchi Marathi mulgi, connected to her roots, while he is everyone’s bhai, the supremo of the masses. She has an Instagram family of 92.7 million, he has 72.8 million followers.

When Shraddha posts on Instagram, her admirers get into a tizzy. When Salman puts up a picture, there’s collective euphoria.

Some opposites

The studio that recently exited the distribution deal for Eetha, have put their might behind Salman’s Maatrubhumi. Producer-distributor-exhibitor, N R Pachisia feels, “Things will not get ugly or irrational on December 4 as far as division for screens/shows because, there is always room for two big movies on one date. There are examples of two biggies like Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and Lagaan, releasing on one day (June 15, 2001) and both becoming blockbusters.’’ A more recent example is the 2023 clash between Gadar 2 and OMG 2. Both these August 11 releases got box office numbers for Sunny Deol and Akshay Kumar.

Empathy factor intact in both

Eetha is based on the biographical account of Lavani and Tamasha artist Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar.The sentiments here will be that of salvaging an art form and empathy with the artist. Maatrubhumi: May War Rest in Peace is a spread love, not war message, which is always welcome in these strife-ridden times.

Their humongous popularity

Shraddha post the Stree franchise is called a ‘Shero’. Despite a curved graph, Salman for the last two decades has managed to stay on top of the viewers’ imagination. In short, this December 4 box office confrontation may prove to be exciting and even a wee bit exhilarating. The lead actors will bring in their flex to the multiplex. The rest will depend on the movies. If the films have might, the box office will see an honourable fight.

On the other hand, Shraddha has only 1 ATBB, Stree 2 (2024)

Not many know this but many moons ago, Salman was keen that Shraddha made her acting debut in his film Lucky: No Time for Love (2005). However, the light-eyed beauty had politely turned down the offer to focus on her padhai.