Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network

While on the one hand the same day release of SAAWARIYA and OM SHANTI OM is being waited with an anticipated excitement, a new history is also being written by the producers of both the films are pooling their resources together to rake the moolah and not allow the distributors to walk away with all the profits. Therefore, they are jointly making their demand for the share, before the release of the film. It would be of interest to watch the outcome, as this may mean a new phase of Hindi cinema where two mega blockbusters, releasing on the same date can extract their pound of share from the distributors.

Other interesting development that is being observed is launching of haute couture associated with both of these films. While Shoppers' Stop has joined hands with OM SHANTI OM to launch a new line of clothing, Future's group has aligned its fortune with SAAWARIYA. In terms of visibility while Shoppers' Stop has more eye ball proposition in the metros, Future Group has foot mapped the country side. So it would be interesting to watch which line of haute couture makes it to the altar and which one flounders. At the face of it in terms of outreach it seems that Future Group may have an edge over Shoppers' Stop so would that edge translate into edge of SAAWARIYA over OM SHANTI OM.

The competition is also between youth and experience, exuberance and maturity, and would youth be able to score over experience or would maturity prevail over exuberance. While OM SHANTI OM team of producers has already stepped onto the gas pedal and firing on all cylinders, SAAWARIYA is maintaining a studied silence. It is not building up to 9th November 2007, the day both these films release to the world.

Is it owing to the fact that while for Farah Khan this is the second film after MAIN HOON NA which met with stupendous success and it is an encore that she has to perform and the reputation that she has to live up to, for Sanjay Leela Bhansali it is another film as his first film KHAMOSHI-The MUSICAL did not hit the bulls eye, so there was no expectation when his second film HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM was released. It is altogether a different matter that it was a huge success and subsequently for him success became a sine qua non, as manifest from DEVDAS, BLACK etc.

Before switching over to directing the films, Farah Khan had made a reputation for herself as a choreographer with a difference and it was a journey, which started with QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK and continued till MAIN HOON NA. Viewed from this perspective, the anxiety should not be there for OM SHANTI OM as well. It seems just that there are reputations getting involved in the process, but the way this whole competition is being built up, it indeed would create a new history for Hindi cinema. An experiment, if it becomes successful, it would open a new chapter for filmmakers to release films of big banners on the same day, which otherwise the filmmakers tend to avoid.