Khakee pushed back to December release

By IndiaFM News Bureau -

November 3, 2003 - 12:00 AM IST

The Shah Rukh-Saif-Preity Zinta starrer Kal Ho Na Ho, produced by Karan Johar, and the Amitabh-Ajay Devgan-Akshay Kumar-Aishwarya starrer Khakee, produced by Keshu Ramsay, were supposed to have been releasing on the same day, November 28, on the first Friday after Id. Now it seems that Khakee has been pushed back to a December release.

Industry insiders allege that Shah Rukh Khan was insecure about the big star cast Khakee competing with Kal Ho Na Ho, hence he asked good friend Kishore Lulla (whose company Eros International is the overseas distributor of Khakee) to intervene (Yash Chopras Yash Raj Films has acquired the overseas rights of Kal Ho Na Ho).

For this part, sources say, Lulla refused to distribute Khakee overseas on the same day as Kal Ho Na Ho, leaving producer Keshu Ramsey with no choice but to postpone his films release.

Ramsay sounds upset when asked about the postponement of his film. Its true that the film has been postponed. Right from the launch of the film we had decided on an Id release, he says.

Ramsay didnt want to antagonise the distributor because the overseas market is a large revenue earner for him. Did Lulla cite any reason for the postponement? No, but my distributors all over India were very keen on an Id release, Ramsay says.

The allegation that it was Shah Rukhs interference that postponed the release riles London-based Lulla. He says, I am not only friendly with Shah Rukh but also Amitji, Raj Santoshi (director of Khakee) and Keshu.

Its purely a business decision and nothing to do with friendship. I am distributing Khakee overseas and I dont want two big films to clash on the same day.

That will decrease my revenue profit and, as a businessman, I have to look after my own interests. When two big films with big star casts release on the same day, of course the initial of the films takes a beating and affects the business prospects of the film.

But Lulla denies that he didnt give the producer a choice. I didnt completely rule out Khakee releasing on November 28. I asked the producer when he would prefer to release the film and to do whatever would be in the best interests of the film. In any case I believe Khakee is not complete and the shooting of Aishwaryas song and a bit of dubbing is still left. We couldnt have released the film then anyway.

But according to Ramsay only a bit of patchwork on the film is left which has nothing to do with the release of the film. Says the producer, I would have completed the film and got the Censor Board Certificate before November 28.

When asked if it is true that he asked Kishore Lulla to postpone the release date of Khakee, Shah Rukhs reply, on SMS, was abrupt: No.

Producer Karan Johar adds, The release date of Kal Ho Na Ho has not been finalised but it should be sometime in November. At the moment we are waiting for the Censor Board Certificate to come through. The moment it does, we will announce its release.