Dunki Star Vikram Kochhar on Salaar Team’s Claim About Getting Less Screens: ‘Why Are You Competing’

Dunki actor Vikram Kochhar weighed in on the reports claiming the Salaar team was unhappy over getting lesser screens. For the unversed, there were reports doing the rounds that the makers of Salaar claimed theatre chain PVR INOX gave the Prabhas film lesser screens as compared to Shah Rukh Khan’s Dunki. The issue was resolved soon after. In a recent interview, Vikram was asked about these reports and he said he read Salaar got more screens than Dunki. Regardless of the screen count, Vikram stressed upon not making films a rat race.

“I read a report that said they have 5000 screens and Dunki has 4000 screens. That mentality of competition is making you say this. It is not that, of course, distributors and exhibitors know their job. So giving such statements… Why are you competing, you are making art pieces, not horses, not athletes. You are making a film. How can you compare one actor with another?” he said, speaking with the YouTube channel Home Bollywud.

When asked if Salaar or Dunki should have reconsidered their release dates to avoid the clash and benefit at the box office, Vikram explained, “I feel the release wouldn’t make a difference but there is a strange ‘verses’ — clashing two films, what is that? (It is) Salaar ‘and’ Dunki, right? (It was) Sam Bahadur ‘and’ Animal, I didn’t see the ‘verses’ there. So why here then? We are artists, we are filmmakers, if this is a competition then what is the finish line? Because these movies will be earning money for the coming two to three years.”

“When you see their box office, chalo, one movie faired higher than the other at the box office. But the other film has earned better in ways, will we only keep doing this? Then every film is competing with each other. But what will we get out of this? Nothing na. It is a simple entertaining thing. You’ve been an art piece, if you want to compare then compare it with all the films made during the year. This is not a race track, if this is a race track, tell me where is the finish line?” he said.

Dunki has done good business at the box office. Having spent a week at the box office, the Shah Rukh Khan film has earned Rs 151.26 Cr in India.