Big releases for Bollywood this weekend

Bollywood's report card shows dismal revenue collection figures in the first half of the year. Now producers and distributors expect to ride on these films, which have received saturation publicity.

'Apne' is already riding high by projecting the film to be the first to cast three Deols. With Dharmendra returning to play a major character in a film after many years, trade magazines say the movie has caught the fancy of the audience.

The promos of Himesh's movie have been running on television for over a month. So the 'Aap Ka Surroor' mania may give stiff competition to the Deol film.

To a certain extent, 'Awarapan', directed by Mohit Suri, has been overshadowed by the hype surrounding the first two movies.

Bobby plays the role of the younger son who has a childhood accident, leaving his left hand non-functional. But he aspires to be a musician despite the odds.

Himesh's acting debut 'Aap Ka Surroor' revolves around the nasal singer who plays the role of an Indian rock star. The film, which also casts Mallika Sherawat, is a romantic thriller in which Himesh is caught in a murder mystery but manages to solve the crime.

'Awarapan' narrates the story of a man's vain attempt to find joy and happiness.

'All the three movies releasing this Friday are going to be nice. I have not yet decided which one to go for. There are so many options,' said Ankit Chawla, a college student.

'Previously, it was only through posters that (the) audience got to know about the next release. Now, a film has become more of a product and it has to be sold like a vendor who sells his vegetables by displaying them,' Dharmendra said.

Multiple releases have not been very good for Bollywood recently. But analysts say this is not a drawback.

'Multiple releases are very much capable of doing good business simultaneously. Remember 'Lagaan' and 'Gadar' opened on the same date but they did great business,' veteran trade analyst Komal Nahta told us.

Copyright 2007 by MusicIndiaOnLine.com