Well, the authenticity of these news (call them rumors) remains under the scanner but what one can say for sure is that if Salman did have any twelve crore plans they might well have to whither before blossom.

Marigold seems to have undone all the good work that Partner had done to Salman. First of all, Salman has come under criticism for his lacklustre performance, especially his futile attempts at an American accent, he has been positively outshone by Ali Larter and the most important reason, Marigold has bombed. Neither the multiplexes nor the overseas market has been able to save this movie from being a total dud. With Salman no longer quoting 12, the pressure might come on Shahrukh to fall back from his (rumoured) 15 crore fee.

Meanwhile the other release of last Friday Buddha Mar Gaya has done exactly like its name at the box office –it’s dead and gone, in spite of the presence of names like Anupam Kher, Om puri and Paresh Rawal in the cast.

Now all eyes move to the coming Friday when Akshay Kumar takes aim at his hit-trick with Hey Baby!