Shah Rukh-Akshay Diwali clash unlikely!

Those who have monitored Bollywood proceedings over the last few years will recall that the first major instance of a King Khan and Khiladi Kumar starrer releasing together was back in 2004. It was Yash Chopra's VEER ZAARA against Subhash Ghai's Abbas-Mustan directed, AITRAAZ. While VEER ZARA went on to become a super-hit, netting well over 40 crores from India, AITRAAZ managed an above average status with around 18-19 crores.

The clash was repeated two years later, but this time around Shah Rukh Khan Khan's DON trounced the Salman-Akshay starrer JAAN-E-MANN comprehensively. On both the mentioned occasions it was the festive Eid-Diwali phase.

With the prospects of SRK's BILLOO BARBER and Akshay Kumar's CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA TOWN (CCTCT), releasing in close proximity, the headline grabbing yarns are already being spun about another clash between the two. However, as per our trade and distribution sources, Akshay's CCTCT will release on 24th October while SRK's BILLOO BARBER, featuring Irrfaan Khan in the title role, will hit the screens a week later on October 31.

Hopefully this should clear up matters, but our usual disclaimer: Release dates can change even at the eleventh hour!