Double trouble on the big screen

So WFAYGTSF? This is what everybody is asking in B-Town. Sorry, I should tell you what the all-caps stand for...

So WFAYGTSF? This is what everybody is asking in B-Town. Sorry, I should tell you what the all-caps stand for: Which Film Are You Going To See First? Jokes aside, ever since Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Farah Khan announced their plans to release their respective magnum opuses, Saawariya and Om Shanti Om OSO, on November 9, this is all that the industry has been focusing on.

It is going to be the mother of all clashes. For instance, you must have heard that Sanjay is upset with Farah after she jokingly observed on 8216;Koffee with Karan8217; that if Sanjay were to make OSO, he would have called it Ma Shanti Ma. Sanjay took this as a dig at his mother, Leela, whom he absolutely reveres. From Farah8217;s camp, the rumour mills insist that it was at his insistence that Ranbir Kapoor broke off his relationship with OSO8217;s heroine, Deepika Padukone.

Interestingly, while the filmmakers are battling it, the industry is enjoying the tamasha, even adding to it. Prior to Saawariya8217;s music launch on September 15, stories started circulating that Bhansali had rushed through with the event to get a lead over OSO. Even OSO has not been spared. Due to a technical glitch, the name of music composer Pyarelal of the legendary Laxmikant-Pyarelal team was omitted from the first lot of CDs. Although the error has since been corrected, there were a few sniggers over this.

Things will only get more sour as the release date approaches. Already the latest buzz targets Saawariya8217;s release strategy. For OSO, Mumbai8217;s Eros theatre is believed to have blocked an unprecedented 2,000 screens. In contrast, rumour mills insist Sony Pictures, producer and distributor of Saawariya, has not even booked theatres. Insiders find this a bit preposterous, especially since the film was projected to have a grand release, both in India and abroad.

While clashes like this are unfortunate for the simple reason that every film deserves a fair chance, it is not new. In recent times, Aamir Khan and Sunny Deol have battled it out twice already when Dil and Ghayal were released in 1990 and when Lagaan and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha came out in 2001. All four films did brisk business. Last year, SRK8217;s Don and Salman Khan8217;s Jaan-e-Mann clashed on the Diwali weekend. While Don won that fight hands down thanks to its publicity blitz, that battle was not as bloody as the ongoing one between OSO and Saawariya.

While we have to wait for November 9 to see who emerges unscathed from this clash, few are aware of another battle that had taken shape much before this one. On October 12, Yash Raj Films8217; Laaga Chunari Mein Daag and the Akshay Kumar-starrer, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, will be simultaneously released.

But clashes like this will keep happening. This, after all, is showbiz. Everybody wants to win and win big. So WFAYGTSF?