While SRK and Salman fans would go to watch the film even if an apocalypse were to hit Earth, it will be difficult for the duo to win over the section of the audience that values content over stardom.
Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan are two integral parts of the holy Trinity of Khans in Bollywood. The third one, Aamir, is set to make a much-awaited comeback this year with Laal Singh Chaddha. While SRK is all set to make a comeback on Republic Day 2023 with Pathaan, Salman Khan’s Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali is slated for a 2022 release. As per a Pinkvilla report, SRK and Salman are expected to reunite for a two-hero collaboration – an action film helmed by the YRF honcho Aditya Chopra. This will be the first time the two mighty heroes will come together to share the screen after their 1995 hit Karan Arjun.
While both SRK and Salman fans couldn’t hold their excitement to see the two megastars on the big screen after what seemed like an eternity, some were left wondering if that was a good idea after all. As much as we adore SRK and Salman, we would be lying to ourselves if we were to say that their respective stardom hasn’t taken a considerable hit in the last couple of years. The reasons for it are two-fold. The first is obviously the fact that both SRK and Salman have had a string of unsuccessful films which were not only panned by the critics but also failed to leave their mark on the box office. For SRK, his last two releases – Zero (2018) and Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017) underperformed. His last semi-hit was Raees (2017) and Dear Zindagi (2016). For Salman, too, his last 3 films – Antim (2021), Radhe (2021) and Dabangg 3 (2019) received overwhelmingly negative reviews from the critics with Bharat (2019) being Salman’s last semi-hit.
While on the first thought, it may be enticing to see SRK and Salman to join forces and star in a typical Bollywood action masala potboiler, one shouldn’t forget that a particular section of the audience, particularly those who binged on the OTT content in the post-pandemic era, might not be willing to flock to theaters in large numbers to see the two. We are, of course, living in the age of content-driven cinema where stars take a backseat and the plot, direction and the sole merit can make or break a film. While SRK and Salman fans would go to watch the film even if an apocalypse were to hit the earth, it will be difficult for the duo to win over the section of the audience that is OTT-centric. What might work though, is for both SRK and Salman to first reestablish themselves as bankable Bollywood action stars and undo whatever small but significant damage to their credibility as actors by starring in a couple of solo films and then going for the two-hero action megamovie. That will not only give enough time to the viewers who were alienated from them, but also help the public perception change in their favour. If they were to go ahead with the two-hero film right away, it could work but it could also prove to be lethal for both SRK and Salman and significantly damage the monopoly over the film industry that they worked so hard to establish for years.
The second reason is the aftermath of the Sushant Singh Rajput death case and the subsequent NCB raids and the crackdown on Bollywood which made the Khans seem like the industry mafia who bully the outsiders and led to #BoycottBollywood trend for days. If both SRK and Salman wait for the dust to settle down and for the public memory (which is short) to fade, their mega action blockbuster might just work wonders. However, right off the back, going in for a two hero collaboration doesn’t seem like the right thing to do, especially because both megastars are on thin ice as far as the public perception is concerned. In 2023, SRK has three films lined up for release, including Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki. On the other hand, Salman Khan will be seen in Tiger 3 with Katrina Kaif and Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali with Pooja Hedge.
It will be interesting to see if SRK and Salman will be able to ace the action film and find a place in the heart of the viewers.
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