Battle at box office as "Bajirao" & "Dilwale" release tomorrow

All eyes are now set on the biggest Bollywood clash of the year as Rohit Shetty's "Dilwale" that brings together the iconic jodi of Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, and Sanjay Leela Bhansali-directed "Bajirao Mastani" release tomorrow.
"Bajirao Mastani", a historical romance, produced and directed by Bhansali, narrates the story of the Maratha warrior Peshwa Bajirao I of the Maratha Empire and his second wife Mastani. While Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone play the eponymous roles, Priyanka Chopra will be seen in the role of Bajirao's first wife Kashibai.
The film has landed in controversy even before its release with the descendant of Bajirao Peshwa I alleging that historical facts have been "altered".

The Shah Rukh-Kajol-starrer "Dilwale" is a romantic musical action comedy directed by Rohit Shetty, and produced by Gauri Khan and Shetty under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment and Rohit Shetty Productions respectively. It also stars Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon in the lead roles.
While the audience will decide the fate of both the films, big movies clashing at the box office is not a new phenomenon for Bollywood. Several films with big stars had competed against each other in the past.
Last year, director Vishal Bharadwaj's "Haider" set in the backdrop of insurgency-hit Kashmir conflicts of 1995, clashed with Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif-starrer "Bang Bang".

In 2012, filmmaker Yash Chopra's last movie "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" released alongside Ajay Devgn-starrer "Son of Sardaar".

In 2010, director Rohit Shetty's "Golmaal 3" was pitted against Akshay Kumar-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's "Action Replayy". The third part of Shetty's action-comedy franchise crossed the Rs 100 crore mark, while the other lagged behind in both critical and commercial success, making less than Rs 30 crore.
In 2007, Shah Rukh and Sanjay Leela Bhansali had a clash with "Om Shanti Om" and "Saawariya" respectively. "Saawariya" marked the debut of star kids Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. However, the latter tanked at the box office, while King Khan's "Om Shanti Om" turned out to be a big success.

Also in the series of biopics is Sonam Kapoor-starrer
"Neerja". The Ram Madhvani helmed film is on the life of senior flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who saved 360 lives on a Pan Am flight that was hijacked in Karachi in 1986.
After bringing to celluloid the story of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi in his 2013 "Shahid", filmmaker Hansal Mehta is back with yet another biographical drama, "Aligarh".
The film is based on the on the real life incident of professor Dr Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras, who was suspended from his job because of his sexual orientation.
Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stars in "Sarbjit", about the Indian convict Sarbjit Singh, who was beaten to death in a Pakistani jail.

The film, directed by Omung Kumar, features Aishwarya playing the role of Dalbir Kaur, while Randeep Hooda plays her brother, Sarbjit, the protagonist.
Meanwhile, the year will also see many sequels of films belonging of various genres, from adult comedies, action to horror.
First in the line is "Kyaa Kool Hai Hum 3", the third instalment in the popular "Kyaa Kool Hai Hum" series, which is set to release on January 22.
The film stars Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab Shivdasani. Another adult comedy slated to release this year is "Great Grand Masti". This film too is the third part of the comedy franchise "Masti".

Actor Manish Paul will be seen in "Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive", a sequel to the 2010 satire "Tere Bin Laden" which starred Pakistani singer and actor Ali Zafar.
Actress Priyanka Chopra will don the role of a tough cop in the Prakash Jha-directed "Jai Gangaajal". The film is a sequel to the critically acclaimed crime-drama "Gangaajal".
Action star Sunny Deol stars in "Ghayal Once Again", which he has also written and directed. It is a sequel to the 1990 cult drama "Ghayal".
Other sequels in the pipelines are Akshay Kumar starrer "Houseful 3", Farhan Akhtar's "Rock On 2" and Emraan Hashmi starrer "Raaz Rebooted".