An end to Bollywood suspicions? At long last, fears about the shraddh period might be allayed

Subhash K Jha

For years now, Hindi filmmakers have stubbornly desisted from releasing their precious films during the traditional period of shraddh, when Hindu households observe a fortnight of solemn abstinence to honour the dead.

That no longer seems to daunt the film trade now. The massive opening for producer Ram Gopal Varma's Road last week has only further strengthened the movie trade's counter opinion: audiences will see a good film any time any day.

Vivek Oberoi, the leading protagonist of Road is incredulous. "No World Cup [the recent ICC World Championship in Sri Lanka] or shraddh could stop people from flocking to see our film. Even Sunday, when India played the finals, shows for Road were full."

Breaking the norm for the second time during the traditional mourning period is Punjabi filmmaker Manoj Punj, whose debut film Shaheed-e-Mohabbat Buta Singh (the reference point for last year's Hindi blockbuster Gadar -- Ek Prem Katha) revived the fortunes of the comatose Punjabi film industry.

Punj is ready with his first Hindi feature film. In spite of well-wishers' warnings, Punj is going ahead with the release as planned. Says the diffident and defiant filmmaker, "How could the success or failure of a film be dictated by the time during which a film is released? Besides, shraddh is a time when people stay away from shopping, not movies.

"Having said that, I must say Zindagi Khubsoorat Hai is a film that does not defy the solemnity of the period in any way. It is a sentimental soft heartwarming emotional drama about a physically challenged girl. Parents can sit with their children and watch this film without hiding their faces in embarrassment," Punj draws attention to the cringe benefit provided by some of the recent films like Shakti -- The Power, Gunaah and Road, where the strong visuals and dialogues put off family audiences.

According to trade experts, it has been a while since a bonafide family film was released. Zindagi Khubsoorat Hai, featuring Bhangra singer Gurdas Maan, Tabu and Divya Dutta fills a lacuna.

However, a more tenable reason for the rush release of Zindagi Khubsoorat Hai is that there are no decent openings for a mellow drama in coming weeks. On October 11, Hansal Mehta's sex comedy Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai rubs shoulders with former beauty queen Yukta Mookhey's long delayed debut film Pyaasa.

The following week on October 18, Anant Mahadevan's romantic tribute to R D Burman's music in Dil Vil Pyar Vyar matches wits with Mahesh Manjrekar's sequel to Vaastav, called Hathiyar. In fact, Manjrekar has fast forwarded the release of his Hathiyar so that it does not clash with the other Sanjay Dutt gangster epic Kaante, now due on December 6.

On the final Friday of October, writer-turned-director Anees Bazmi rush releases his murder thriller Deewangee.

The shraddh period seems like a fair opening for an enterprising film during this cluttured period. If Road and now, Zindagi Khubsoorat Hai click during this traditionally taboo time, the mourning would decidedly pave the day for the superstition-ridden film industry.