Getting a release that ensures a clean, solo run at the box office has become a do or die thing for the film industry.Things have come to such an end that some are now lobbying or even resorting to intimidation for a release date. The latest to face it is actor Shah Rukh Khan, who has gone on record about a big-time filmmaker coaxing him to change the release date of his forthcoming film because he felt that ‘SRK is destroying his film’.

“I won’t name this particular big time producer-director. He, I remember, called me and was very disturbed. He actually told me to postpone my film as it would destroy his film at the box office,” said Shah Rukh, according to a transcript of a yet-to-be aired chat show.

SRK, it seems, didn’t pay any heed to the person because he never really bothered about him. “All I said is that if you want me to push my film all you have to do is tell me. There’s no need to get disturbed. I don’t like or dislike this person, I just don’t think about him at all,” adds the actor.

With a film’s fate being decided in the weekend run, release dates have become all the more important for filmmakers. “You are lucky if you get a release date of your choice. I too want to see my films release during a Diwali or Eid, but these dates are reserved for the bigger stars,” admits actor Ranbir Kapoor.

The last big ‘fight’ regarding release dates reportedly happened between the filmmakers of Aamir Khan starrer Dhuan and Ajay Devgn starrer Tezz. “It is important that one film does not bleed the other at the box office. Clashes are unnecessary because we are all looking for a good run,” says filmmaker Ratan Jain, whose Tezz will clash with Karan Johar’s Agneepath on Republic Day next year.