There is a hot war brewing between the two biggies this week. An impending clash between Prithviraj Sukumaran-Mohanlal’s L2: Empuraan and R Murugadoss-Salman Khan’s Sikandar seems unavoidable.
While L2: Empuraan opens tomorrow, Thursday, Sikandar is scheduled to open three days later, on Sunday, which, according to distributors and exhibitors, gives the Malayalam film only three days to make its profits.
However, the Empuraan team is unwilling to go by the above narrative.
A manager of a major multiplex chain in Mumbai spoke on condition of anonymity about the looming crisis. “Sir, we are being asked by the Sikandar distributors to clear the decks on Sunday. They want all the primetime shows from Sunday. But the Empuraan team won’t accept this. They are threatening not to give us the film for screening from tomorrow if we withdraw the shows on Sunday for Sikandar.”
Fervent talks are on for an early solution to the imbroglio.
There is a growing feeling that L2: Empuraan is not only a good product but actually a much better box office bet than Sikandar.
Says the manager, “The trailer of Sikandar has done considerable damage to its prospects. Empuraan is no longer a distant second.”
