This year Bollywood is taking its chances with cricket. With the long season of cricket, first the World Cup taking off on February 19, and then IPL 4 that goes right through May, the film industry is not refraining from releasing films but is going to try out diverse content, many small budget films, to draw the audiences into the theatres.

So on February 18, on the eve of the first World Cup match, UTV Motion Pictures released Vishal Bhardwaj?s 7 Khoon Maaf. With the promotions and the music already creating a buzz around the film, the industry hopes the film works at the box-office. ?We are releasing some films during the World Cup and IPL, because the season is three months long and films have to release,? says Siddharth Roy Kapur, CEO, UTV Motion Pictures.

Around April 8, just after the World Cup ends, UTV has a big release with Anees Bazmi?s Thank You, starring Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Bobby Deol. ?We are taking our chances with cricket this year,? says Kapur.

The next three months won?t see any of the Khans, Salman, Aamir or Shah Rukh, though all of them have releases this year or any biggies for that matter, but there are children?s films, thrillers, human drama and films involving interesting star casts that will be screened.

Sahara Motion Pictures is releasing Kaccha Limboo, Sagar Bellary?s second film, starring Vinay Pathak and Sarika, after the hugely successful Bheja Fry.

Also in the cricket season, we will see the release of Satrangee Parachute, a film by Vikram Khetrapal with an interesting star cast including Kay Kay Menon, Zakir Hussain; Ankush Bhatt?s Bhindi Baazaar, with Kay Kay Menon and Pawan Malhotra; Viacom 18?s Tanu Weds Manu with Madhavan and Kangna Ranaut; Tigmanshu Dhulia?s Shagird; Bhavna Talwar?s Happi, starring Pankaj Kapoor.

On the eve of the World Cup finals, two comparatively bigger films are set for release, Eros and Excel?s Game, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Kangna Ranaut, and PVR/Rakeysh Mehra produced Teen Thay Bhai. Balaji Motion Pictures, which saw great success with Love, Sex and Dhoka last year, will release two keenly awaited films, Shor in the City on April 28 and Ragini MMS on May 13.

?Not everyone watches cricket. Besides, it is a great time for the release of mid-size high concept films, which find a long enough window to prove themselves, rather than getting lost in a crowd,? says Tanuj Garg, CEO, Balaji Motion Pictures.

?It?s difficult for films with high financial stakes to release during World Cup or IPL,? admits Ram Mirchandani, chief creative officer, Eros International. Having said that, Eros will release Abhinay Deo?s Game and a small film, Challo Dilli, starring Lara Dutta. ?There?s a kind of fatigue that cricket brings to it, and people will clamour for other entertainment,? says Vikram Malhotra, COO, Viacom 18. On April 8, Viacom is set to release Bijoy Nambiar?s thriller, Shaitan, starring Arshad Warsi and Kalki Koechlin.

?We have an unparalleled slate for the year 2011-12, with films, which span diverse genres right from rom-coms to action, from thrillers to drama,? says Malhotra. Of the 10-12 films slated for release this year, at least three will be launched over the next two months, so bang in the midst of the cricket season. On April 22, Fox Star Studios will release Ramesh Sippy?s Dum Maro Dum.

The film industry?s reaction to cricket is a far cry from what happened in 2009, during IPL season 2, when distributors refused to release films because of a bad experience in 2008, when films released during IPL -1 didn?t recover costs. In 2009, the strike following a row between distributors and exhibitors further impacted Bollywood earnings, with the industry losing three months to the strike and IPL.

During IPL 3 too, producers released a slew of small films, but most of them incurred losses. This year, say insiders, the release strategy has been well thought out, with the bigger films being released either towards the beginning or end of the World Cup or in the interim between World Cup and IPL. Since a large number of films are released every year, Bollywood can?t afford to lose three months and end up launching a clutch of films bunched up together like in 2009, say insiders. In 2009, some films didn?t even get a weekend window, and ate into one another?s revenues. In 2011, Bollywood appears to have learnt its lessons and is going ahead with the releases, with caution.