Bollywood's Diwali Gambles!

Diwali is here, and with it are glimmers and shimmers of lights, and the resplendent fireworks. There also happens to be another popular tradition which has been considered auspicious to mark the occasion of Diwali every year - that of gambling!

Our celebrities in tinsel town move beyond the orthodox trends of gambling, and place stakes much higher, in bids more consequential - by planning for mega releases every year around this high time of festivities. The eat, drink and be merry spirit in the air can sure find its way into the cinema halls, enthusiasm and moods as good as they get, and Bollywood sure knows how to bank on all that for their big launches. Some of the biggest blockbusters of the 90's - Hum Apke Hain Kaun, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Raja Hindustani, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai... have all been Diwali releases of their respective times.

The trend in fact, has been observed now, for a while, and BollyCurry presents here a tally of the same for the last 5 years.

Starting with 2006. Which witnessed clash of the titan Khans, with the parallel release of SRK's Don and Salman's Jaan-e-man. Although cracks had not appeared between these two then friend and colleague actors, the anticipation for both releases was high and in the end it was Farhan's Akhtar's directorial Don, along the lines of its Amitabh Bachchan forerunner, which won audience acclaim and commercial business during the hay time.

2007 had SRK vying for competition again, this time with Om Shanti Om, which was to become debut venture for its female protagonist Deepika Padukone, verses Sanjay Leela Bhansali's charismatic and enigma inspiring Saawariya which was to launch star kinds Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor. Although promos for both had been promising, and the music album of Saawariya may actually have faired an edge, overall, OSO did much better business at box office, and got Deepika a megahit in her very first Bollywood break!

2008 saw SRK step out of the festive season race and that subdued some attached hype to the season's releases. However, there were four movies around Diwali that time, two just before and two just after. While Heroes and Roadside Romeo, the preceding movies that hit the halls both went under in the competition, Golmaal Returns and Fashion did well. The Golmaal sequel a little less than its original, but decently, and Fashion scoring as yet another Bhandarkar genius!

2009 was stiff choice making for the viewer audience. Diwali last year saw the release of Blue which placed claims of being unprecedented in its stunts and effects, All The Best, a promising comedy, and Mr. and Mrs. Khanna, a rom-com entertainer. While Blue won recognition for all its claims and did fairly at BO, it was met by mixed reviews which ranged from too good, to too hyped! All The Best was the safest bet. It promised the audience rib tickling moments which was exactly what it delivered - no cliches, nothing slapstick. Finally Mr. and Mrs. Khanna lost business to the lack of loyal audience who would choose it over the other two movies, but through DTH, it had cash registers ringing and set new records for gross earnings.

Lastly, we come to this year. 2010 is no different from its predecessors in terms of the anticipation and clash of top banners and their release. Although its between just two this time, both Golmaal 3 and Action Replayy have already made ample news and done elaborate promotions prior to releasing. While the Akshay Kumar-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Action Replayy has made waves on account of the pair of them coming together onscreen after quite a while, Golmaal 3 though promising is also facing some skepticism from those who found its previous sequel somewhat unsatisfactory. The holiday weekend and festive spirit is yet to decide the fate of the these movies which have released this Diwali Friday.

So enjoy Diwali, and catch your favorite movie this weekend! Celebrate bright and safe!  

Author: Naseem J.