Two much-hyped films were released this Diwali, in Hindi- Shahrukh Khan's 'Om Shanti Om' and Sanjay Leela Bansali's overly decorated and almost theatric extravaganza, 'Saawariyaa'.

Three new debuts were made- Deepika padukone made her debut as the heroine of 'Om Shanti Om' and Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in 'Saawaraiya'. Ranbir is from the Raj Kapoor family. Sonam is the daughter of Anil Kapoor.

Both the films were equally hyped. But when they hit the theatres, the audience showed a remarkably positive preference for the Shahrukh starrer, which was directed by Farah Khan. The other film, 'Saawariya' was a bit too mushy and 'Moulin Rouge' like for comfort. The extravaganza in the sets made the film look a bit too outlandish and theatrical.

Critics say that the lead characters of Raj and Sakina were so unnaturally sweet and charming that they lost their appeal.

So, this time around, Diwali belongs to the rebirth-story 'Om Shanti Om'!