Two of the most beautiful actresses are connected by an uncanny coincidence. The forthcoming films of both.

The stunners are based on the religious Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, starring Aishwarya Rai as Sita, is based on Ramayana.

It has south star Vikram playing Ash’s hubby and Abhishek Bachchan playing the villain who kidnaps Ash and takes her into a forest. Govinda’s character, based on Lord Hanuman, is that of a forest guard who helps trace Ash.

Prakash Jha’s film Rajneeti, on the other hand, is based on Mahabharata. The film, a political thriller, borrows a great deal from the politics of Mahabharata. Ranbir Kapoor plays an Arjun-like character who, with the help of his mentor, takes on his rivals. Katrina too plays a politico in the movie that stars a host of actors including Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal, Manoj Bajpai and Nana Patekar.

Both ‘Raavan’ and ‘Rajneeti’ have Ash and Katrina in non-glam roles; the stunners are dressed demurely in sarees. Another coincidence is that both the films are set to release in May next year. Though it’s unlikely that the films would clash at the marquee, they would, at best, release with a gap of two weeks in between.  Who will emerge victorious in this battle of supremacy at the box office, we’ll know next year.