The release date of one of the year's most awaited films - "Chennai Express", starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, has been postponed by a day so that it coincides with the auspicious occasion of Eid.

Earlier, the Rohit Shetty directorial was set to release on 8 August. However, since the festival falls a day later, the entire team of "Chennai Express" decided to push the release of the action comedy to 9 August.

Confirming the reports of the change in the release date, a source said, "A national holiday has been declared on August 9. The film is a big budget project. It's much anticipated as it is the star's first film with Rohit Shetty. The producers are expecting a huge opening and releasing the film a day later makes wise business decision." Mid-Day reported.

"Breaking News: #ChennaiExpress will release on 9 August now. Not 8 August," trade Analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh tweeted.

According to reports, the decision of postponing the release date was taken a couple of days ago following a meeting held at Shah Rukh's residence among Red Chillies Entertainment, UTV and exhibitors.

"We always wanted to come on Eid. And now as the festival will be celebrated on August 9, which also happens to be a bank holiday, it makes sense to release the film on the same day," said Gaurav Verma, director of Theatrical Distribution, Studios, Disney UTV.

Shah Rukh, who will be playing an action role in the film after a long time, had earlier asked filmmaker Ekta Kapoor to postpone the release of her film "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara" to avoid a clash at the box office. Complying with his request, Ekta delayed the release of the Akshay Kumar starrer by a week and the film will now hits screens on Independence Day weekend of 15 August.

"Chennai Express" is among the most hyped films of 2013 and is Shah Rukh's first release of the year. If the film succeeds in making ₹100 crore, it will be Deepika's third film of the year after "Race 2" and "Yeh Jawaani HAi Deewani" to make it to the mark.