Ajay, Akshay grudge match at Diwali box office

One year after Ajay Devgn trounced Akshay Kumar at the Diwali box office, the stars go head-to-head once more

After a battle at the Indian box-office last Diwali, top Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn are set to compete with each other yet again this festival of lights. On the weekend of November 4, Kumar’s “Action Replayy”, which is directed by Vipul Shah and also features former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, goes head to head with Devgn’s “Golmaal 3,” directed by Rohit Shetty and is the third edition in a profitable franchise.

Inspired by Robert Zemeckis’s 1985 Hollywood superhit “Back to the Future”, “Action Replayy” is the story of a time-travelling couple. Having spent most of their 33-year marriage quarrelling, the couple travel back in time to relive happier times, when they first fell in love.

Set in the seventies, the Rs400m film has been talked up ahead of its release for its authentic costumes, which recreate the Disco era for Bollywood, with designers Manish Malhotra and Shabina Khan working closely with Shah to interpret the look.

But the second sequel in the “Golmaal” franchise is set to give Shah’s film a run for its money. The first film in the series, “Golmaal”, took in gross revenues of Rs520m, while its sequel, “Golmaal Returns,” reportedly took in Rs1 billion over the course of a month. That business raises expectations for “Golmaal 3”, which features the same core group of actors; Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor. Adding to the entertainment value are Kunal Khemu, Mithun Chakraborthy and the comedians Ratna Pathak Shah and Johnny Lever.

Of particular note this time around are Kareena Kapoor’s stunts, at least one of which – making an entry standing on the bonnet of a moving car – she performed herself.

When the actors faced off last year, the comedy Devgn produced, “All The Best: Fun Begins”, made on a budget of Rs300 million (Dh24m) was the bigger hit, taking in gross revenue of Rs663m. Kumar’s “Blue,” which was considered to be the most expensive Bollywood film with a budget of Rs100m, also took in Rs60m and was declared a flop.

This time, though, both “Action Replayy” and “Golmaal 3” are romantic comedies, so it remains to be seen which actor generates the most laughs – and business.