Karan pushes Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani release, avoids clash with Ajay

Karan Johar has had a successful 2012 with Agneepath, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu and Student Of The Year faring well at the box office, but the filmmaker will begin the next year with a slight niggle. Karan, who was set to release his next production, Ayan Mukerji’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani with Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone in the lead, has now pushed the film’s release date from March 29 to May 31. An industry insider reveals, “Karan’s film was to release on the same day as Ajay Devgn’s Himmatwala. But looking at Ajay’s track record, Karan decided to avoid the clash and pushed his film’s release date. They’re big movies and a clash would’ve affected business.” The insider further says that the decision was taken after the box-office collection figures of Son Of Sardaar (SOS) came out. The insider says, “SOS did well even though it had tough competition from Jab Tak Hai Jaan.”A source close to the filmmaker’s camp adds, “Ajay and Karan had a discussion. Karan is on friendly terms with UTV Motion Pictures, the producers of Himmatwala. And they decided to avoid the clash. So Karan decided to release his film on a later date.” Himmatwala, directed by Sajid Khan, pairs Ajay with south star Tamanna, who makes her Bollywood debut with the film. Sajid maintains the film is not a remake of the hit 1983 film, starring Jeetendra and Sridevi. We tried contacting Ajay and Karan, but they remained unavailable for a comment.