Fireworks reserved for Eid
Festivities mean big bucks, since people are on a spending spree. But, this year, the biggest releases--Khakee (Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar), Kal Ho Naa Ho (Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan, Jaya Bachchan) and Janasheen (Fardeen Khan, Celina Jaitly)--are scheduled for release on 28th November, the Friday after Eid-ul-Fitr. This is so, since Ramzaan begins soon after Diwali, and Muslims will stay away from cinema halls. So, the major releases have been scheduled for the Eid week.
The Diwali week has not lost all its sheen yet. Billed for 24th October, a day before Diwali, are nine films, mostly small-time and those in the pipeline for long. Among them is Pinjar, set against the backdrop of Partition, with a stellar line-up that includes Urmila Matondkar, Ishaa Koppikar, Sanjay Suri, Priyanshu Chatterjee and Sandali Sinha. Competing with Pinjar is a clutch of films either by newcomers or featuring debutant actors.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. In the last two years also, Diwali was a dull affair in Bollywood, because it was too close to Ramzaan. But otherwise, the Diwali week often sees a clash of the titans. In 2000, Bollywood's most known Chopras fought it out with Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein (Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan) pitted against Vidhu Vinod Chopra's blockbuster Mission Kashmir (Hrithik Roshan, Preity Zinta).
In 1998, it was again a Bachchan film (Bade Miyan, Chote Miyan) battling the odds against Karan Johar's debut film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead.
This year, Bachchan's Khakee is again competing with the Karan Johar-produced Kal Ho Naa Ho, again with Shah Rukh in the lead. Interestingly, Bachchan will compete with wife Jaya in Kal Ho Naa Ho. Kajol, whose casting has been kept under wraps in Kal Ho Naa Ho, will have competition from husband Ajay Devgan, who features in Raj Kumar Santoshi's Khakee.
Diwali or Eid, the audience will be the king.