The release of Rajnikanth's next postponed to avert a showdown with Bollywood bigwigs on Diwali

Rajnikanth may be the boss of all, but it looks like the superstar is not willing to clash with Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan at the box office.

Buzz is that his next film, his first release in two years and also his comeback project post his illness, will now be delayed to avoid a showdown with Ajay's magnum opus (directed by Ashwani Dheer) and Yash Chopra's untitled that stars Shah Rukh Khan. All the films were earlier slated to have a Diwali release.

Word was that theatres all over Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of the South were already being booked in bulk for the film. However, the delay that was kept under wraps to avoid disappointing the superstar's fans is now out in the open.

Says a source from the film, "Rajni sir's South market is totally secure. In fact, when Kamal Haasan heard of Rajni ji's Diwali plans, he postponed the release date of his Hindi-Tamil-Telugu tri-lingual film.

But then the news of the Ajay Devgn-starrer being released during Diwali surfaced. Though, it in no way affects Rajni ji's Southern and overseas market, the Hindi version is bound to get affected."

Our source adds, "Incidentally, Yash Chopra had already announced that he would be releasing his film during Diwali. Initially, Rajni's team was ready and willing to take on Ajay's film even in the Hindi belt.

But now with Sonakshi Sinha's soaring popularity after Rowdy Rathore, it was felt that a Diwali release was just not practical."