‘Calling us a fraternity is futile,’ says Karan Johar as ‘Merry Christmas’ clashes with ‘Yodha’

CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, 14/01/2018: Film-maker and producer Karan Johar at the Hindu Lit for Life in Chennai on Sunday.
Photo: R. Ravindran
| Photo Credit: RAVINDRAN R

Producer Karan Johar is seemingly miffed with Bollywood studios moving to clash with another release ‘without the courtesy of a phone call’.

On Monday, the makers of Merry Christmas, starring Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi and directed by Sriram Raghavan, announced the film’s release date as December 15, 2023. As it happens, Yodha, the first of an action franchise starring Sidharth Malhotra and produced by Johar’s Dharma Productions, is also releasing on the same day. The film’s release date was announced earlier this month on July 3.

On Instagram Threads, Johar expressed his displeasure about the box-office clash without naming either film. He wrote, “Clashing on a date without the courtesy of a phone call is hopefully not the way forward for the studios and producers …. If we don’t stand united in these tough and challenging theatrical days then calling us a fraternity is futile….”

Merry Christmas is produced by Ramesh Taurani’s Tips Films and Matchbox Pictures. The film is a bilingual shot in Hindi and Tamil.

Box-office clashes are a regular phenomenon across industries. Besides the Barbie–Oppenheimer clash this week, the Hindi films Gadar 2 and OMG 2 are clashing in theatres on August 11, along with Bhola Shankar (Telugu) and Jailer (Tamil) releasing on the same date. In 2016, Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil had famously clashed with Ajay Devgn-starrer Shivaay in theatres.