Bollywood
is
known
for
its
superstitious
beliefs.
And
when
it
comes
to
their
films,
the
producers
don't
believe
in
taking
any
kind
of
risks.
This
is
probably
the
reason
why
the
releases
generally
reduce
during
the
period
of
Shradh.
Shradh
according
to
the
Hindu
calendar
is
a
period
which
is
unsuitable
for
any
kind
of
business
and
well,
movies
surely
are
a
business.
This
year,
two
movies
that
released
in
this
period
which
includes
Naksha
and
Dil
Diya
Hai,
both
bombed
at
the
Box
Office.
These
two
flops
resulted
in
the
loss
of
minimum
of
Rs.12
Crores.
Besides,
if
we
take
a
practical
view,
the
films
didn't
manage
to
impress
the
critics
as
well,
so
one
can
say
that
they
were
heading
for
an
ill-fate
anyway.
But
then,
even
if
we
look
at
the
records
of
past
few
years,
the
belief
of
the
producers
can't
be
completely
overlooked.
Last
year,
films
like
Vivek
Agnihotri's
Chocolate
and
Rohit
Jugraj's
James
failed
at
the
Box
Office,
though
the
expectations
from
these
films
were
actually
high.
In
fact,
many
people
were
expecting
RGV
to
postpone
James
due
to
Shradh,
but
the
man
decided
to
flow
against
the
tide.
And
in
spite
of
the
high
level
of
publicity
done
for
these
films,
for
some
reason,
they
never
pulled
audiences
to
the
cinema
halls.
Again,
if
we
move
back
to
2004,
Atul
Agnihotri's
directorial
debut
Dil
Ne
Jise
Apna
Kaha
failed
at
the
Box
Office
though
it
had
big
stars
like
Salman
Khan
and
Preity
Zinta.
Similar
was
the
fate
of
Phir
Milenge
which
had
stars
like
Salman
Khan,
Abhishek
Bachchan
and
Shilpa
Shetty.
The
Shraadh
period
was
considered
so
dangerous
to
the
film
business
that
till
2004,
nearly
90%
of
the
releases
used
to
get
postponed
to
avoid
'Shraad'.
But
now,
say
some
experts,
the
things
are
changing.
With
the
coming
of
corporates
into
the
industry,
the
focus
is
on
business
rather
than
the
old
beliefs.
Interestingly,
the
period
of
Shraadh
and
Ramzan
when
the
releases
were
the
least
are
now
being
used
to
release
medium
budget
films.
This
very
year
saw
nearly
22
films
releasing
during
the
45
day
period.
Besides,
in
terms
of
business,
since
most
producers
avoid
releases
during
Shraadh,
this
serves
as
a
golden
period
for
smaller
films
to
cash
in.
Films
like
Pyar
Ke
Side
Effects,
Dor,
Khosla
Ka
Ghosla
and
Woh
Lamhe
among
others
have
been
released
by
the
producers
with
the
same
strategy
in
mind.
This
obviously
gives
a
chance
for
the
medium-budget
films
to
avoid
the
biggies
which
make
their
grand
entry
during
the
festive
season
Diwali
and
Id.
This
year,
films
like
Farhan
Akthar's
Don,
Sajid
Nadiadwala's
Jaan-E-Mann
and
J.P.
Dutta's
Umrao
Jaan
are
all
among
the
big
films
that
are
going
to
takeover
the
market
during
Diwali-Eid.
Many
film
makers
whose
films
are
less
on
glamour
and
star
value
avoid
this
period.
Says
Madhur
Bhandarkar
that
he
would
better
let
this
phase
pass-by
and
then
give
a
proper
release
to
his
next
film
Traffic
Signal.
As
sometimes,
even
the
most
sensible
of
movies
have
chances
of
going
unnoticed
when
the
big
bannered
multistarrer's
hit
the
screens.
Whichever
way
it
might,
one
thing
is
sure
that
this
year
has
proven
to
be
extremely
lucky
for
Bollywood
with
movies
doing
big
business.
And
if
the
producers
continue
to
plan
and
play
it
strategically,
it'll
benefit
the
industry
in
turn
as
all
the
films
-
big
or
medium
budgeted
-
will
have
a
chance
to
score
with
the
audiences.