They are currently playing on screen friends, and creating dhamaal, but off screen it could soon result in a war for supremacy. “Both Arshad Warsi and Riteish Deshmukh are fast becoming favourites for acting in sequels and are currently battling it out for maximum number of sequels in hand,” says an industry observer.
With the kind of positioning they have right now, neither can even dream to make it to the top league. But within their own space they are rivals. “They do hardcore comedies, which makes them competitors. And Arshad and Riteish couldn’t make it big as a solo heroes, so they would never let go of successful franchisees,” says a trade guru.
However, both are happy in their space and deny any sort of rivalry. “Sequels are a scary business. One can’t get complacent,” says Riteish. Arshad agrees with him and says, “There is a lot of pressure to make the audience laugh and that’s a tough job.”