2002 Clash: Bhagat Singh Films, One Blockbuster, Two Careers Ruined

• In 2002, three films based on Bhagat Singh's life, 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh', '23rd March 1931: Shaheed', and 'Shaheed-E-Azam', were released within a week, leading to a historic cinematic clash.
• Rajkumar Santoshi's 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh', starring Ajay Devgn, was critically acclaimed and a box office blockbuster, earning Devgn a National Award for Best Actor.
• The Deol brothers' '23rd March 1931: Shaheed', featuring Bobby Deol as Bhagat Singh and Sunny Deol as Chandrashekhar Azad, failed at the box office due to direct comparison with Devgn's film.
• The failure of '23rd March 1931: Shaheed' severely impacted Sunny and Bobby Deol's careers, leading to years of flop films and Bobby's temporary disappearance from the industry.
• Sonu Sood's 'Shaheed-E-Azam' was overshadowed by the bigger releases, despite praise for his acting, due to its low budget and limited reach.

Why It Matters: A 2002 cinematic clash of three Bhagat Singh films saw one blockbuster and two careers suffer.