Mumbai, Apr 6 (PTI) Superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan will be back as Pathaan and Tiger in a crossover film for Yash Raj Films' ambitious spy universe, say trade sources.

Conceptualised by YRF boss Aditya Chopra, the 'YRF Spy Universe' brings three franchises headlined by leading stars -- Salman's "Tiger" movies, Shah Rukh's "Pathaan" and Hrithik Roshan's "War" -- under one umbrella.

The studio's recent blockbuster "Pathaan" marked the beginning of the cinematic universe with a cameo by Salman as Avinash Singh Rathore aka Tiger. It also had plenty of references to Hrithik's "War" character, Kabir Dhaliwal.

Titled "Tiger vs Pathaan", the film will be directed by Siddharth Anand, who most recently helmed Shah Rukh-starrer "Pathaan", which had a guest appearance by Salman as Tiger.

The new movie, which will be an action spectacle, will showcase a ruthless face-off between the two top stars of Hindi cinema, who earlier starred together in movies such as "Karan Arjun" and "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai".

"Aditya Chopra has immense trust in Siddharth Anand to deliver a grand visual spectacle that has never been seen before with 'Tiger vs Pathaan'.

"Siddharth is getting a dream cast of Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan coming together for their first full fledged film since 'Karan Arjun' and Siddharth will also be given all the support he needs to mount Tiger vs Pathaan as the biggest film that India has ever produced," the trade source said.

The development comes days after reports that the studio has hired "Brahmastra" filmmaker Ayan Mukerji to direct the second installment of Hrithik's "War". It was also widely reported "RRR" star Jr NTR will feature opposite Hrithik in "War 2".

"Pathaan", which also featured Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana, was released in theatres worldwide in January. The film earned over Rs 1,000 crore at the global box office.

Salman will be back as Tiger in "Tiger 3", which will see Shah Rukh reprise the role of Pathaan. The film scheduled to hit the screens this Diwali.

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Kyiv (AP): A Russian airstrike on a prison in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region killed at least 17 inmates and wounded more than 80 others, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday.

The attack late Monday hit the Bilenkivska Correctional Colony with four guided aerial bombs, according to the State Criminal Executive Service of Ukraine.

At least 42 inmates were hospitalized with serious injuries, while another 40 people, including one staff member, sustained various injuries.

The strike destroyed the prison's dining hall, damaged administrative and quarantine buildings, but the perimeter fence held and no escapes were reported, authorities said.

Ukrainian officials condemned the attack, saying that targeting civilian infrastructure, such as prisons, is a war crime under international conventions.