'Raees' will release only in 2017

In what could have been a clash of the titans at the box office, superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s

‘Raees’ has been pushed to 2017, avoiding a release with Salman Khan’s ‘Sultan’.

The Rahul Dholakia-directed film, which was scheduled to release alongside “Sultan” this Eid, will now release on January 26, 2017.

“Raees” is co-produced by Shah Rukh’s Red Chilies Entertainment and Farhan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment.

“It was not an easy decision to move the film. We understand that ‘Raees’ is highly anticipated. However, a film of such magnitude requires the appropriate showcasing and therefore, we have decided to shift our release date to 26th January, 2017,” the producers said in a statement.

Shah Rukh had earlier hinted in an interview that he would want to avoid the box-office clash with good friend Salman.

“Sultan”, where the “Dangangg” star plays a Haryanvi wrestler, will now enjoy a solo release this Eid, which has in the past seen Salman deliver many blockbusters like “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” and “Kick” among others.

Interestingly, the Republic Day weekend of 2017 is already booked with Ajay Devgn starrer “Baadshaho” and Hrithik Roshan’s “Kaabil.”

“Raees” is set in 1980s Gujarat. It tells the story of bootlegger Raees Khan (Shah Rukh) whose business is challenged and eventually thwarted by a police officer, played by actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui.