ImageWe all know that Salman Khan  is on a roll and his last movies have done wonders at the box office. His latest release with Yash Chopra banner is the current rage amongst the youth with the film pundits predicting a 100-200 crore collection at the box office along with substantial overseas collection. With the producers already sitting pretty with music and TV rights rumored to have been sold for an astonishing 75 crores! And given the legion of fans of Mr. Khan and the current craze with the movie goers, the film can be expected to do well in the first few days of the release at least.Will Salman’s dream run continue with the movie Ek Tha Tiger?

The over bloated star system – as it currently exists in Bollywood – is skewed in the extreme; it is high time that the overpriced stars and the filmmakers realize that a famous star can only ensure a descent opening of a movie and little else. And no one better than Bollywood understands that a star is only as good as his previous release. Same is true of the marketing and promotion that is limited to creating only the viewer awareness and buzz regarding the movie. The world of mouth publicity still rules and no amount to paid reviews or glossy advertisements or promos on TV channels can ever truly replace that. One has to be cautious with over enthusiasm as the example of Ra-One shows that hype and marketing can never replace a good and engaging storyline. Whereas the movies with engaging storylines – be it Phas gaye Obama or Bheja Fry, have struck gold at the box office because the director was able to hold the interest of the viewers and surprise them.

I do not know how many of you have notice the uncanny resemblance in the storyline of Ek tha Tiger with Saif Ali Khan’s Agent Vinod that hit the silver screen some time back. So much for originality in the Bollywood! Or perhaps the brain wave of inspiration in the closely knit Bollywood writing fraternity is universal, akin to Dr. Karl Gustav Jung’s universal human consciousness! All seem to be dipping in the same river of inspiration and coming out with identical pearls – be it extra marital affair movies, Bhagat Singh movies or secret agent movies!

Another interesting bit of news item I came across is that Salman’s movie has pushed back the release of the 3D version of the epic movie Sholay to September, as the producers did not wanted a clash with the Khan movie. How many of the young would prefer to watch Sholay over Ek tha Tiger? Not many I suppose; although it does not take away anything from the charm of the Ramesh Sippy’s masterpiece. I wonder if he himself could make another Sholay; highly unlikely – such movies are made only once and the magic is never repeated. I would rather wait for the blu ray disc of the 3D Sholay to come out and watch it on my large 42 inch LG LED Cinema 3D TV with chilly garlic chicken and bacardi or kingfisher – one of my few indulgences beside my cats. And being a Salman fan I have already booked the ticket for the movie for the weekend and will have a blast of time with my friends.

How I miss Mumbai; but more on that later! For now your friend Kitty kitten Nisha babi signing off until next time.