A rivalry Yash refuses to claim
In an upcoming episode of Aap Ki Adalat, Yash addresses that clash directly, and makes clear the result never dented his regard for Khan. He said he remains a fan, noting that theirs was the smaller film at the time and Khan’s the bigger one, which was just how the release fell into place. “I’m still his fan,” Yash said in a promo of his upcoming Aap Ki Adalat episode. “We were a small film. Shah Rukh sir’s film was bigger, so we released ours,” he added.
The numbers, in hindsight, tell a modest story either way: Zero collected roughly Rs 191 crore worldwide, while KGF: Chapter 1 brought in close to Rs 250 crore globally. But Yash is careful not to read that gap as any verdict on where he stands relative to Khan. As he put it, Khan is a superstar, and the moment he considers himself bigger than his seniors is the moment he’s finished. “He’s a superstar. The day I think I’m bigger than my seniors, I’m done,” he claimed.
No release date was ever a challenge, Yash insists
This isn’t the first time Yash has addressed the Zero clash. Around the film’s original release, he maintained that the overlap was never a calculated move against Khan. His reasoning centred on scale: with KGF releasing simultaneously across five languages, the team needed a date that worked for every market’s distributors, not a date chosen to compete with anyone.
He acknowledged that a clash was inevitable in a market like Delhi, but expressed confidence that a strong film would ultimately hold its own regardless of what it released against, adding that no single film could claim the entire country and that room typically exists for two or three releases to coexist.
From a regional record-breaker to a global phenomenon
KGF: Chapter 1 was originally shot in Kannada and released in dubbed versions across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Backed by Hombale Films, with Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment handling North Indian distribution, it became the highest-grossing Kannada film of its time, a record its own sequel would later dismantle. KGF: Chapter 2, released in 2022, crossed Rs 1,200 crore worldwide, cementing itself as one of Indian cinema’s biggest global successes.
What comes next
Yash’s upcoming project, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, is co-written by the actor alongside director Geetu Mohandas, and produced by Venkat K. Narayana’s KVN Productions in association with Yash’s own Monster Mind Creations. The ensemble cast includes Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Tara Sutaria and Akshay Oberoi. Shot simultaneously in Kannada and English, the film will see Yash take on a dual role.
Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories—from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features.
A passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.