Blockbuster weekend

This Diwali Bollywood has come up with two major blockbuster releases. Shah Rukh Khan's much awaited film Om Shanti Om (directed by Farah Khan) and Sanjay Leela Bhansali"s magnum opus Saawariya (which has debutants Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in the lead roles) are all set to scorch the box office this weekend.

Having two blockbuster movies released on the same day, especially Diwali, will surely create mayhem for one of them.

It was reported that Bhansali even asked King Khan to delay his film"s release by a week so that he could ensure a good opening for his film starring the newcomers.

Grapevine

But Khan is said to have vehemently refused the director"s request. "My film will be a much bigger hit, and I am in no way going to change the release date," Shah Rukh told Bhansali.

The grapevine is also buzzing with rumours that Farah Khan has a grudge against Bhansali for insulting her dancing abilities.

She wants to prove to him that she is a successful "hit" director (after Main Hoon Na). To add fuel to the fire, she has been making politically-correct statements in press interviews that "all"s well between the two of us and we have buried the hatchet".

Although both movies are based on different themes, Om Shanti Om is a showbiz-centric film (set in 1970 pre-interval) that revolves around the life and times of a struggling actor (with a re-incarnation sub-plot post interval). Saawariya is an
exquisitely mounted and lushly choreographed romantic film. Khan is confident that his film will get a far better opening and be the highest grosser of 2007.

Bhansali has maintained a stoic silence on Shah Rukh"s claims, he has not gone on a reckless publicity promotion spree like the Om Shanti Om.

He has confidence that his debutants (fourth generation Kapoors, Ranbir and Anil Kapoor"s daughter Sonam) will pump up the star quotient with their fresh persona and highly energised dramatic upheavals.

Opulent

After all, Bhansali's previous hit films like Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Black have hit the bullseye with his opulent designer sequences with every frame brilliantly woven with thousands of lumens of light and brilliantly conceived scenes.

While trade pundits are sure that King Khan will capitalise on a grand initial box-office opening (in wake of his recent
success of Chak De India) and gorgeous discovery Deepika Padukone, his film promises to be a frivolous, fun-filled
entertainer compared with the romantically laced outburst which is reportedly inspired by the Hollywood hit film Moulin
Rouge.

So, while two blockbuster films are vying for a hit, we'll have to wait and see what their box-office impact will be.

After all, movies make magic, and both Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali are magically gifted and have proved
consistently that they are heroes in their own way. May the best film win!