Hrithik Roshan and Karthi were all praises for each other as their films clashed in theatres on Friday. Hrithik’s Vikram Vedha, which stars him alongside Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte, and Rohit Saraf among others, released in theatres on September 30. It coincided with the release of Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, featuring an ensemble cast of Karthi, Vikram, Trisha, Aishwarya Rai, Sobhita Dhulipala, Jayam Ravi, and more. Also Read| Vikram Vedha and Ponniyin Selvan I release highlights
Karthi took to his Twitter account on the day of the film’s release to wish luck to the Vikram Vedha team, and also said he is looking forward to watching the action-thriller. In response, Hrithik said he is also planning to watch Ponniyin Selvan, and sent his best wishes to the team.
Karthi tweeted, “Wishing @iHrithik, #SaifAliKhan. @PushkarGayatri and team a huge success for #VikramVedha. Looking forward to watch the film soon.” Vikram Vedha’s directors Pushkar and Gayatri replied to it, “Thanks a ton! @Karthi_Offl. Eagerly waiting to watch #PonniyinSelvan1 Our heartiest wishes for Mani Sir and the entire team for the epic!” Hrithik also responded to Karthi’s message, tweeting, “Thank you so much for your wishes Karthi! #PS1 looks amazing & I’m hearing only good things about the film. Will be watching it soon. My love & best wishes to Mani Ratnam Sir & the entire team. More power to you all.”
It comes after Pushkar downplayed the talk of box office competition between his film Vikram Vedha and Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan. At a recent media interaction in Delhi, he said, “Ponniyin Selvan is a classic text, a tale of intrigue set during the Chola Empire. You can’t beat that…We do our part and they have done theirs. Let’s hope people go and watch both the movies. I think Friday-Saturday or Sdaturday-Sunday. I’ll be going and watching that movie for sure.” Hrithik joked during the conversation that he only knows Vikram Vedha, while Saif Ali Khan said, “Yeah, go watch both the films.”
Trade insiders told Hindustan Times that as per box office predictions, Ponniyin Selvan I is likely to register a record-breaking opening of ₹50-60 crore worldwide on its opening day. On the other hand, Vikram Vedha is expected to collect nett ₹10 crore in India, a modest but promising opening.
Ponniyin Selvan I, based on Kalki’s popular novel of the same name, is the first of a two-part historical drama set in the Chola Empire. Vikram Vedha is a remake of Pushkar and Gayatri’s own 2017 Tamil hit of the same name, which starred Vijay Sethupathi as Vedha and R Madhavan as Vikram. The story is inspired by the folklore about Vikram-Betaal.