Munnabhai to take on Chulbul Pandey?

Salman Khan Reuters

Actor Salman Khan may be ruling the BO, but he seems to be in for some takkar and this comes from none other than close buddy actor Sanjay Dutt, or so suggests a recent survey.

According to the survey, Sanju’s Munnabhai has emerged as the most-awaited sequel, beating Sallu’s Dabangg that came in at number two. In fact, Sanju’s hit franchise even beat the likes of Golmaal, Dhoom, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai and Don as well that came in at third, fourth, fifth and sixth positions respectively. Others on the list included Housefull, Murder, Rock On and Dhamaal.

Incidentally, sequels to both the films have been finalised and may release next year. “The third in the Munnabhai series earlier titled Munnabhai Chale Amerika was delayed after the film My Name Is Khan released the same year that the shooting for this film was supposed to start. As the storyline had certain similarities in terms of showing the lead protagonist meeting the US president, Munnabhai was completely stopped and the script was rewritten,” reveals a source explaining the delay in the third installment of the film directed by Rajkumar Hirani.

There was also buzz of producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Sanjay having a fall-out after the actor found out that the filmmaker had been on the lookout for a replacement to play the lead. “However, early this year, Sanju was brought back on board after the filmmakers realised that there can be no other Munnabhai,” adds an insider. Meanwhile, Sallu’s Dabangg 2 is said to start soon after the actor wraps up Kabir Khan’s Ek Tha Tiger and expected to release next year like Munnabhai.

Trade analysts however say that both the films will have takers and the two stars cannot be considered direct competition. “Both are extremely different films, so there should be no Salman-Sanjay clash. What is interesting is that their star power has not had much to do with their BO status ever. They both are stars in their own right and will always have a loyal fan base,” says trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

“A family comedy anyways has a stronger audience than action,” he adds. The survey conducted by Ormax Media showed that Salman’s film lost the top position by a mere percent.

A source close to the star however adds that Salman and Sanjay’s friendship is least affected by numbers at BO or otherwise. “Salman considers Sanju to be his elder bro and Sanju too is extremely fond of Salman, so there’s no question of them getting upset by these results,” says the source.