Amitabh Bachchan & Rajinikanth to clash on July 22

Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, the two mightiest superstars of Indian cinema-with due respects to Salman Khan-are all set to clash at the box office in a most unexpected way. Rajinikanths new film, the eagerly awaited Kabali opens on July 22, alongside Steven Spielbergs childhood fantasia The BFG in which Big B lends his voice to the main character of a giant played by Mark Rylance.

While this in itself may not be seen as a direct confrontation between the two behemoths frantic efforts are on to avert the "clash" between Rajinikanth and the Bachchan baritone. Apparently, Reliance and Fox-Star, the distributors of The BFG and Kabali, respectively, are trying to work out an "amicable compromise" so that the two films do not suffer from the impending clash.

Says a source close to the development, "Both Kabali and The BFG are non-Bollywood opuses to be released in multiple languages all across India. Both are aimed at family audiences. While the USP of one is the cinematic deity of the South the USP of the other is the most famous baritone of India."

While clashes between Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan starrers have been averted in the past, the two giants of Indian cinema have clashed on at least two occasions when Mr Bachchans Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom and Rajinikanths Sivaji The Boss were released on the same Friday in 2007 and some years later Mr. Bachchans Bhoothnath Returns and Rajinikanths Kochadaaiyan clashed on the same Friday in April in 2014.

Whether the impending clash between the two icons is averted or not remains to be seen.