It may have been the year of the guffaw and the stick with comedies and a sport movie ruling at the box-office, but as the Hindi film industry?s biggest and busiest season begins, a six-packer will take on two Bollywood scions in the most awaited challenge of the year.
And even as distributors and multiplex owners are still negotiating over the terms ? prints, halls, money ? the hype around Sanjay Leela Bhansali?s Saawariya and Farah Khan?s Om Shanti Om is gradually reaching a crescendo. Both Saawariya, being as it is Sony Pictures? first Hindi production, and OSO, backed by Shah Rukh Khan?s muscle-power, have been on a marketing overdrive for at least two months now. Already, Satyam properties in Delhi show record sales of 18,000 tickets for OSO even before the advance bookings start.
Says Adlabs Cinemas COO Tushar Dhingra, ?There are very high expectations around these two releases due to the star casts, directors and all the hype surrounding them. The Diwali season will obviously be a big boost as well.?
For a while now, all Diwali releases had one big hit with others mostly crashing at the BO. According to industry estimates, in 2005 when Garam Masala took a lead, Kyon Ki and Shaadi No 1 flopped; in 2006, Don was a hit but Jaaneman failed to click. This year, points out PVR Film Cell CEO Ashish Saksena, both films are looking good to hit the jackpot. ?Both Saawariya and OSO have the potential to do big business and be the top grosser but David Dhawan?s Partner may be a tough act to follow since that was a solo release and in this case both films may eat into each other?s shares marginally.?
Cinemax V-P (marketing and programming) Devang Sampat feels Saawariya will have a strong opening, buoyed by a huge publicity budget that is evident in its prints, electronic, web and outdoors marketing. ?But songs of OSO are comparatively catchier and the film is likely to gain a stronger opening than Saawariya. While OSO is an out-and-out masala film for the masses, Saawariya will be more of a visual treat for the classes.?
According to Bhumika Tewari, GM (programming), Fun Cinemas, such is the buzz around the two films that ?we shall have an average booking of above 80% for the first week of the release for both?. Most of the players agree that the two films should be the biggest grossers for the year. ?We have our figures crossed,? she says.
But first, the knotty negotiations with distributors have to be sorted out. On their part, while Eros, which is distributing OSO, refused to comment, Sony Pictures? spokesperson said the issue would sort itself out before November 9.