Crores at stake
The first big clash will take place on November 9 with Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om releasing on the same day as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya. Then UTV's Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal faces competition from Sanjay Gupta's Dus Kahaniyaan.

Following these movies is the Madhuri Dixit-starrer Aaja Nachle, which is keenly awaited because the actor is making a comeback with this film. In December, Anees Bazmee's Welcome, Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par , Sudhir Mishra's Khoya Khoya Chaand and Gupta's Woodstock Villa are set to hit the theatres.

The right combination of films makes the coming months all the more interesting.  Viewers will have a period film in Khoya Khoya Chand, a complete masala package in Om Shanti Om and a children's film in Taare Zameen Par, which is also Aamir's debut venture as a director.

"I would put it (the money that is at stake) at roughly Rs 200 crore," says trade expert Taran Adarsh. What makes the situation more interesting is the number of big stars whose films are up for release — starting from Shah Rukh Khan to Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit. One also cannot forget Akshay Kumar, who has had three hits in a row with Namastey London, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

"Diwali has never been so big. With Om Shanti Om being sold at Rs 75 crore and Saawariya costing around Rs 45 crore, it's going to be quite interesting. The industry might as well get three new stars in Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone," says trade expert Komal Nahta.

The right combination of films makes the coming months all the more interesting.  Viewers will have a period film in Khoya Khoya Chand, a complete masala package in Om Shanti Om and a children's film in Taare Zameen Par, which is also Aamir's debut venture as a director.

What went wrong?
Adarsh attributes the lack of big hits so far this year to "bad scripts and bad films". We have had successes such as Guru
(Rs 41,65,00,000), Heyy Babyy (Rs 51,60,00,000), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (Rs 41,27,00,000) and Chak De! India (Rs 63,64,00,000) along with Namastey London, Partner, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Aap Kaa Surroor and average films such as Life In A Metro, Dhamaal and Bheja Fry. However, that super-duper blockbuster hasn't quite arrived except for Chak De!.

Jab We Met is doing well, but certainly cannot be called a blockbuster. By this time last year, there were blockbusters in Krrish, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Rang De Basanti and super-hits in Fanaa and Phir Hera Pheri to mention a few.

Duds such as Salaam-e-Ishq, Eklavya¸ Nishabd, Tara Rum Pum, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag have not quite made producers and analysts happy. With Laaga Chunari Mein Daag also not really faring well at the box office, the concerns seem justified.

"In the absence of good films, the audience is left to choose from ordinary fare," says filmmaker Sudhir Mishra who has his Khoya Khoya Chand, which is reportedly based on the love story between Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rahman, coming up later this year. "The year 2007 is not even close to what 2006 was. We cannot say it has been a very good year so far with many expected hits biting the dust," says Nahta.

A lot depends on how the coming two months turn out. "Om… will get a great opening and so will Saawariya. It's the perfect blend with all sorts of films in store. Taare Zameen Par will be good, too," says Dhan Dhan Dhan Goal director Vivek Agnihotri.

 

Mumbai, Nov 6 - He is one of the truly accomplished actors in Bollywood, but Sushant Singh of 'Sehar' and 'Jungle' fame isn't doing too much work.

He is nevertheless contented and looking forward to 'Freekick' in which he plays the main lead.

'I play the main lead in T.R. Rajiv Kumar's 'Freekick'. It's a small film about a common man who gets sucked into the medical racket. Our health and medical care institutions are so screwed up. This film is an expose of sorts on the whole healthcare scene,' Sushant, who was seen as Amitabh Bachchan's sidekick in 'Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag', told IANS.

His heart-warming performances make you wonder about the blindness in Bollywood.

Asked why he wasn't getting offers, he said: 'You tell me (laughed)! I'm open to playing all kinds of characters except the ones that don't make sense. And that, you'll agree, narrows down the options.'

Another role that has Sushant charged and revved up is that in Mani Shankar's 'Mukhbir' in which Sammir Dattani plays the title role.

'When Mani narrated it, I realised it was one of the best scripts I had heard in a long time. That's why I did it. Every actor, whether it's Sammir Dattani, Suniel Shetty, Om Puri or me, plays a well-defined character. I think 'Mukhbir' defines the changing face of our cinema. There are no conventional heroes and villains any more.'

Sushant has also completed a children's film 'Tsunami 81' for Children's Film Society, India (CFSI). The film is a poignant journey of two orphaned victims of the 2004 tsunami who subconsciously find a family within their new circumstances.

'It's directed by Naeem Shah, who made a film called 'Officer' many moons ago. I'm the father of a two-year-old girl. I really think there's a need for films for kids in this country. I liked the idea of sharing screen space with a child, especially one as talented as little Ankur who makes his debut. We have such fine child actors now - unlike earlier when every producer had to go to Baby Guddu or Master Babloo.'

Sushant, who also features in Smriti Irani's serial 'Viruddh' on Sony TV, is looking hopefully at the future.

'A film like 'Mukhbir' where a talented non-industry guy like Sammir gets to feature so pivotally proves a point. It's not just about who you are. It's also about what you can do.'

MUMBAI, India: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty was swamped with hundreds of calls after a fan got hold of her private number and sent it out in a mass e-mail, forcing her to file a police complaint, her publicist said Tuesday.

The complaint asks police to trace the fan, said Shetty's publicist Dale Bhagwagar.

Currently in Britain performing a musical titled "Miss Bollywood," the actress was "extremely perturbed" her number was known to hundreds of people who called or sent her SMS messages, he said.

"Some want to date her, some want to just listen to her voice, some want to inquire if her musical 'Miss Bollywood' is doing fine and some call just to check if they are speaking to the real Shilpa Shetty," Bhagwagar said, adding that the actress has stopped using the number.

MUMBAI (Reuters Life!) - Bollywood's Rajkumar Santoshi's latest film about the murder of an actress may seem familiar, but the A-list director says it is not based on the 1999 killing of a model by a politician's son, a crime which shocked the nation.

"Halla Bol," starring Ajay Devgan and Vidya Balan, revolves around the murder of an actress by a group of influential men who use their political clout to cover up the crime.

In 2006 and after a seven-year and highly publicized trial, Manu Sharma, the son of an influential member of India's ruling Congress Party, was convicted of shooting model and celebrity barmaid Jessica Lall at a crowded New Delhi bar in 1999.

Several media reports have said Halla Bol was based on the shooting.

"Though the plot maybe similar to the true incident, my film is not inspired by it," he said, referring to the Lall murder.

"The film is about an actor who thought he was a sort of a hero for the people and then realizes one fine day when the actress is murdered that he is nothing but a screen identity," said Santoshi.

"It is a story about how he stands up and fights for the actress against powerful people of society who try to silence his voice."

Halla Bol is due to open in December.

The association of the music director and the lyricist happened quite serendipitously, when Swanand was assisting Sudhir Mishra on Hazaron Khwahishein Aisi, and has now come full circle with Mishra's ode to the golden age of Bollywood, Khoya Khoya Chand.

The modest Shantanu is still coming to grips with the demand for his talent.

"What comes at the top of my mind is that we didn't know about this, that one day we will be doing films - big films - with names on hoardings. That was not the vision," he says.

He adds that he wanted to do something else in life. "And I guess he (Swanand) wanted to do something else in life. So, we believe that there was this higher force which put us at a crossroads.

Swanand Kirkire adds, "It clicked with me and Shantanu. It's always clicked, but it has clicked with others also, like the producers, directors who are approaching us. They see the chemistry between us, which is favourable for them."

One of their current projects, Sudhir Mishra's Khoya Khoya Chand has proved to be a challenge. Set in 50's and 60's Bollywood, there were reference points for the music of the film. But the difficult part was to create the sound of that era.

"The key word for this soundtrack is that it is celebration of cinema. And when we think of celebration, we have been programmed (to think) 130 beats per minute," says Shantanu. "This is not that. There are 130 beats per minute, but it has other beats too," he adds.

The soundtrack has a vast range, with numbers from almost all possible musical genres in Bollywood, from cabaret to qawwali. Swanand has even lent his voice for the title track.

"We are watching a different self of us," says Swanand. "We didn't know that this (kind of a song) was existing in me."

The versatile duo are doing the songs for Shyam Benegal's Mahadev and are also cutting a private album.

Indraneil Sengupta

Diwali is round the corner but the box office is yet to see any fireworks. Bollywood churned out a mixed bouquet this year but the majority flopped with Shah Rukh Khan starrer Chak De! Indiabeing the only super hit so far.

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Around 90 films - experimental films, movies with high budgets, comedies and love stories et al - have released in the last 10 months.

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The year started with the disastrous Kudiyon Ka Hai Zamana, which promoted Rekha as its high point. This was followed by Mani Ratnam's Guru, loosely based on the life of late business tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani. The Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai starrer brought temporary respite and plunging movie ticket sales went up.

But it was not enough to compensate the losses.

Then came an array of flops, though offbeat offerings like Anurag Kashyap's Black Friday, Rahul Dholakia's Parzania and Madhur Bhandarkar's Traffic Signal pepped up the box office.

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It was Reema Kagti's feel-good film Honeymoon Travel's Pvt. Ltd that actually broke the jinx. Made on a medium budget, Kagti's directorial debut was about different perceptions of what a honeymoon should be, portrayed through six couples. The film was termed the first big hit of the year.

"Films are not doing well because we are not concentrating on the script. There is a dearth of scriptwriters in Bollywood. We need good writers," said Bhavna Talwar of "Dharm" fame.

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After that came a string of dismal comedies and dreary love stories.

The box office looked up with Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif's romantic-comedy Namastey London. Mira Nair's The Namesake also released at around the same time, but was meant mainly for the multiplex audience.

After a brief lull, a surprise hit came in the form of Bheja Fry. Debutant director Sagar Bellary's satirical comedy did really well. Shot on a shoestring budget of Rs.6 million, the film earned about Rs.120 million!

There were two hits in May - multi-starrer actioner Shootout At Lokhandwala and Anurag Basu's Life In A...Metro were appreciated by critics and viewers alike. "Metro" was successful in the overseas market too. It garnered $144,169 in the US and 148,208 pounds in Britain.

Thrillers like Manorama Six Feet Under and Johnny Gaddar were liked by a certain section of people but weren't considered big hits.

"The whole definition of hit and flop is wrong - movies like Manorama Six Feet Under and Johnny Gaddar are meant for a small section of society. If there is a total of 100 moviegoers, these films cater only 10 people. So if only 10 people go and watch these films, it is declared a flop. It is unfair," Vivek Agnihotri, whose Goal is releasing Nov 23, told IANS.

"Though there weren't too may hits, I must say that this year we had many experimental films in different genres. And it is a good sign. A new lot of directors is joining the industry with new ideas," he added.

Surprisingly, well-packaged and much-hyped movies like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Shakalaka Boom Boom, Eklavya - The Royal Guard, Salaam-e-Ishq, Nishabd and Cheeni Kum just wilted away.

The major break came with Shimit Amin's Chak De! India, starring Shah Rukh.

People didn't expect a film of the sports genre to do well, but it turned out to be a rage amongst audiences across the country. Made at a budget of Rs.200 million, the movie was about a disgraced hockey player trying to redeem his pledge by enabling the women's team to lift the world cup. It earned Rs.640 million and the cash registers of the producers are still ringing.

After Chak De! India, the flop story continued with Marigold: An Adventure Love Story, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, Dhol, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and Bhool Bhulaiyaa.

Though Bollywood has had a disappointing year so far, it is poised for two big releases - Om Shanti Om and Saawariya. And the industry hopes these much-awaited flicks can change the economics of the box office business and end the year on a happy note.

Other projects that one can look forward to are Madhuri Dixit's comeback film Aaja Nachle, Agnihotri's Goal and Aamir Khan's directorial debut Taare Zameen Par.