When Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan clashed at the box office

Director and choreographer Farah Khan recently revealed she broke down crying after her husband Shirish Kunder's directorial debut Jaan-E-Mann earned half as much as Shah Rukh Khan's gangster drama Don at the box office. Both films released on Diwali, creating a major box office clash between superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

Box Office Clash

Farah had a close working relationship with both camps, as she choreographed all the songs in Jaan-E-Mann and also worked on the recreated song 'Yeh Mera Dil' for Don. Despite her involvement in both projects, the clash turned out to be heavily lopsided. Don opened at Rs 4.65 crore in India, which was nearly twice the Rs 2.43 crore opening day collection of Jaan-E-Mann. Worldwide, Don went on to collect Rs 106 crore, while Jaan-E-Mann managed only Rs 46.27 crore.

Personal Reactions

Farah confessed she was deeply moved by Salman Khan's raw performance in Jaan-E-Mann, particularly a scene on the Brooklyn Bridge where he cried without using glycerine. When the romantic drama failed to perform well commercially, she was left heartbroken and broke down. However, this box office battle did not permanently ruin her bond with Shah Rukh Khan, as the duo quickly reunited for the massive hit Om Shanti Om. Their friendship faced another hurdle years later in 2012 following a physical altercation between Shah Rukh and Shirish Kunder after a dig was taken at the film Ra.One, though the filmmaker and actor eventually patched things up again.

Context

Box office clashes between major Bollywood stars during festival periods like Diwali often create intense competition and immense media attention in the Indian film industry. While such competitive releases can sometimes strain professional or personal equations in the short term, many industry figures eventually put past differences aside to collaborate on future projects.