Bollywood boulevard

A case in point is the Yashraj banner. That Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Mohabbatein were in the same genre as daddy Yash Chopra’s evergreen romances can probably be blamed on his genes. But Gadhvi’s film too is like any other typical Yashraj romance. The early buzz on Kunal Kohli’s Mujhse Dosti Karoge (starring Hrithik Roshan, Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapoor), which the Chopras are producing, is that it’s a breezy romance very much in the Yashraj mould.

Ditto for Dharma Productions. Karan Johar hit bull’s-eye with Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Next, he decided to launch his assistant Nikhil Advani as a director with a thriller. Even as Bollywoodwalas expressed their surprise, Johar declared that they had changed their plans. The thriller was put off temporarily, and Nikhil will now be directing a ‘‘sweet love story set in New York’’. Ho, hum…

Sanjay Gupta’s White Feather Films, whose first release will be the boys-with-toys action flick, Kaante, announced their latest film, Plan some months ago. The film will be directed by Gupta’s assistant Hriday Shetty, and it is — surprise, surprise — another action film with a predominantly male cast. In fact, even the film’s pre-production teaser looks similar to the Kaante footage we have seen in promos lately.

To some extent, Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts has avoided the trap. Prakash Jha’s Rahul (a box-office dud) didn’t bear Ghai’s stamp at all, and neither does David Dhawan’s Ek Aur Ek Gyarah, which he’s currently directing for Ghai.

Perhaps the same can be said for Ramgopal Varma. Shool (directed by E Niwas), Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (Rajat Mukherjee), and Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (also E Niwas) were all entirely different from each other. Some of them may have been similar to the kind of movies Varma has made in the past (Shool wore a Satya hangover), but that’s probably because Varma hasn’t pigeonholed himself into making any one kind of movie. Come on, this is the man who’s capable of variety: Rangeela, Daud, Satya, Kaun, Mast, Jungle, Company.

The big question then is whether the young directors who’re landing these fancy breaks should be grateful for the opportunity, or whether they should insist on making movies that reflect their own tastes and sensibilities…