Unnoticed, Aamir-SRK snipe at each other

Even as Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan did their huggy-huggy, kissy-kissy act at the producers' PC, what passed unnoticed was their cold verbal attacks on each other's biggest hits.

The exchange began when SRK described how "small films" took time to gather momentum and spread by word of mouth among audiences. What he said next must have left Aamir squirming. "Small films like Taare Zameen Par and A Wednesday took three months to start making money."

TZP of course was a huge hit, though its success was limited to mostly big cities and multiplexes.

Aamir retorted immediately, talking about the lack of transparency in the distributors' accounting. "Bollywood's biggest films like Gadar and Lagaan didn't get the exact return they should have got," he said. He left unmentioned SRK's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and DDLJ, both of which rank high on the biggest grossers list in history before Ghajini.

"And Gadar and Lagaan along with Sholay are the historical hits of the industry," Aamir added, rubbing it in. He mentioned these two movies three times as being the biggest hits.

After that, Aamir fielded all the questions the journalists asked, not letting SRK get a word in.

An irritated Shah Rukh said: "I used to think this, but today I realised it, that Aamir is more intelligent than I am. He knows everything and answers every question."

An alarmed Karan Johar intervened at the next question, saying: "OK, let Shah Rukh answer this."

The stars were addressing the media and voicing their support for the producers against multiplex owners, demanding an equal share in profit, and a drop in ticket prices.

Both the Khans have spent the last couple of years running each other down, but it has been Aamir - saying he has a dog called Shah Rukh and denying that SRK is a king - who has made most comments.

Despite the recent public displays of affection, it certainly looks like the Khan war is far from over!