Salman Khan’s Bharat to clash with India’s first World Cup 2019 match, this is what the director has to say

After warm up games scheduled for May, India will play its first World Cup 2019 match with South Africa on June 5, the date when Salman Khan’s Bharat hits theatres.

Bollywood actor Salman Khan often ensures solo release for his films, with Eid becoming synonymous with his films. His upcoming film with Katrina Kaif, Bharat, however, has found himself a novel clash - India’s first match in World Cup will also be held on June 5, when the movie hits theatres. Director Ali Abbas Zafar, however, is unfazed by the clash.

Zafar told Mumbai Mirror in an interview, “India will play and win the first match, and our film will enter cinemas. It’s a great time for entertainment in June. When we announced the film, the World Cup schedule was not out. It’s a coincidence that India’s first match and Eid fall on the same day.”

After the warm-up games scheduled in May, India will play its first match on June 5 opposite South Africa at The Rose Bowl, Southampton in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

Producer Bhushan Kumar, too, said that the World Cup match adds to excitement for the day. “The audience looks forward to a Salman film with Eid. And now, with team India’s upcoming innings at the World Cup, the excitement has doubled across the country. People are looking forward to the day,” he told the tabloid.

Talking about how she bagged the role, Katrina earlier said, “Ali and I are good friends, but when it comes to work, we are completely honest with each other. I read the script from start to finish in three hours and immediately called him to tell him that I loved it. I realised there was an opportunity of going the extra mile with this character. So, it had nothing to do with my friendship with Salman or Ali. In fact, Salman did not even call me after I signed the film. We met directly on the set.”