Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR are coming together for the first time in director Ayan Mukerji's War 2, which marks the sixth instalment in the long-running spy franchise from Yash Raj Films (YRF). Ayan has been touting it as a face-off between two big stars in Indian cinema. However, YRF is set to keep the two actors away from each other during War 2 promotions to ensure that the audience gets to enjoy their rivalry to the fullest. Notably, the factor that makes the first film, 2019's War, from Ayan himself, entertaining and thrilling is the unique dynamic between Hrithik and Tiger Shroff's characters. In War, Ayan portrays Tiger's character Khalid as a protege of Hrithik's Kabir, someone who looks up to his senior, similar to how the former actor views the latter in real life. It caught the audience off guard upon War's release and proved a key factor in the film's success. It seems like YRF is treading a similar path for War 2 promotions with respect to the dynamic between Hrithik and Jr NTR's characters. Earlier, YRF kept actors from partaking in prerelease interviews so that they would not give away spoilers or any key information pertaining to its films. The actors came together at the film's success party.
"Hrithik and NTR will be promoting War 2 separately and all plans have been made keeping in mind that they would never share the stage together, never be in any promotional video together pre-release and never seen with each other," said a source close to the project. The source added, "Hrithik and NTR coming together is a once in a lifetime cinematic moment in Indian cinema and there will be a bloody carnage on the big screen. YRF is clear that the audience should first experience this rivalry before they see the two promote with camaraderie."
YRF is set to release the film on August 14 in theatres, including in IMAX screens.