27th Jan 2005 21.45 IST
By Aparajita Ghosh
As many as three films with the word Black in their titles will hit the theatres consecutively on coming Fridays.
The fact that the word 'Black' has become a favorite of some Bollywood filmmakers nowadays seems hardly a coincidence. Last time when a film with word Black in its title hit the Indian marquee was way back in 1970s when Vijay Anand's 'Blackmail' was released.
Since then the ominous word has been left in the shadows and has now, after three decades, been included in three films that will release almost together.
The Black season of Bollywood begins on Jan 28 with Ajay Devgan starrer Blackmail , a story of kidnapping and ransom.
Also likely to release on the same day is Anurag Kashyap's Black Friday , a movie that details the events that culminated in what's now known as the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.
But the most awaited film of this season is Sanjay Leela Bhansali 's Black that chronicles the tale of a blind-deaf girl and her mentor who teaches her the language of touch and smell. The film, slated for Feb 4 release, has Rani Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachchan playing leading roles.
When the remarkable 'black' coincidence was pointed out to Bhansali, the director seemed unconcerned.
"I don't know about other films with the word. But black has always been my favorite color. When I decided to make a film about the world of the sightless, Black was the title that came to mind immediately," Bhansali reportedly said.
Trade analysts, too, are not wary of three films with 'black' in their titles hitting the marquee in a short span.
"What is important is that the three films in question are based on entirely different themes. Just the use of same word 'black' in their titles does not mean they will eat into each other's market share," said one analyst.
https://www.apunkachoice.com/scoop/bollywood/20050127-1.html
7