Mumbai, Oct 29 (IANS): Diwali, the festival of lights, has long been synonymous with the release of blockbuster films in Bollywood.

While the trend of films clashing on this auspicious occasion has become commonplace in recent years, it is the late filmmaker Yash Chopra who is often credited with establishing this festive cinematic tradition. Yash Chopra, who has many hit movies to his credit. had a unique connection with Diwali. Chopra’s affection for Diwali was reflected in his choice of release dates, with several of his most beloved films debuting during the festival of lights.

His iconic movies, such as “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge”, “Dil To Pagal Hai”, “Veer-Zaara” and “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” all hit the screens during Diwali, setting a precedent for filmmakers to follow. Interestingly, Shah Rukh Khan once shared his thoughts on Yash Chopra’s profound connection with Diwali. He revealed that Chopra intentionally chose to release his films during the festival, believing that doing so would bring joy and happiness to the audience.

SRK said, “I have worked with Yash ji for 20 years. One thing that was always common was he wanted people to be happy after watching his movies and that’s why he chose Diwali or may be Diwali chose him when all his films came out.” It goes without saying that success of Yash Chopra’s films during this period paved the way for other filmmakers to view Diwali as an ideal window for releasing their projects.

This year, Rohit Shetty’s highly-awaited cop drama “Singham Again” and T-Series’ horror-comedy “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3” will clash at the box-office on Diwali. “Singham Again” stars Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Arjun Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, and Jackie Shroff. On the other hand, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3”, co-written and directed by Anees Bazmee, stars Kartik Aaryan, Vidya Balan, Triptii Dimri, Madhuri Dixit, Vijay Raaz, Rajpal Yadav, and Sanjay Mishra. Both movies will lock horns on November 1.