Om Shanti Om infused josh to the industry

By: Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM
Tuesday, 27, November, 2007

A few points to ponder...

Now that the noise surrounding the Diwali releases is on a decline, the new season of keenly anticipated films is about to begin. Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, Aaja Nachle, Dus Kahaniyaan, Khoya Khoya Chand, Welcome, Taare Zameen Par, Halla Bol, Hanuman Returns, Showbiz -- there's a wide variety to look forward to in the forthcoming weeks. And the flow of films is likely to spread into the new year. Bollywood is on a high!

While the sun has started setting on 2007, the season of awards is about to rise once agin. But does anyone take a majority of awards seriously? At least I don't! An award only helps to boost your ego, that's it. Beyond that does it help get you better roles and films? Nope. Does it contribute in escalating your remuneration? Never. Does it make you more popular with moviegoers? No way.

Sports-based themes are an absolute no-no. That's what a section of the industry felt not too long ago. But Lagaan and Chak De India changed the perspective. Now everyone's looking forward to Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, which opens this week. I am all for sports-based themes. It's high time we explored this genre on celluloid. A storyteller can incorporate so much drama in those 2 hours. At the end of the day, film-making is all about narrating interesting stories, isn't it?

The Diwali verdict is out. Om Shanti Om burnt the brightest [it continues to spread light to this date], while Saawariya was like a rocket that fizzled out after a good start. Om Shanti Om has infused a lot of josh amongst traders these days. The terms being offered to several forthcoming films are partly due the fact that the industry has witnessed such good returns in the Diwali week. In the meanwhile, SRK is laughing the loudest. His roar, post Om Shanti Om, only got deafening!