The World Cup has precipitated a war of nerves in Bollywood.

Everyone wants to release their films before the games begin.

Only Raveena Tandon is certain she need not fear cricket fever. Her first production Stumped has been designed to coincide with the World Cup.

The rest are running scared. Even nothing-can-ever-bother-me television producer Ekta Kapoor got cold feet when it came to the competition from cricket. Says she, "I had to rush my Kucch To Hai to a pre-World Cup release."

Other filmmakers like Ravindra Peepat (Kaash…Aap Hamare Hote), Madhur Bhandakar (Satta) and Tinu Verma (Baaz: A Bird In Danger), whose movies are scheduled to release the next fortnight, echo similar sentiment.

The latest film to get into a tizzy because of the looming sports event is Fardeen Khan and Kareena Kapoor's Khushi. It was to release on January 31, but has been pushed to February 7, two days before the World Cup begins in South Africa.

As things stand, Khushi will vie for audiences' attention with Verma's Baaz, Raj Babbar's launch pad for daughter Juhi, Kaash…Aap Hamare Hote, and Bhandarkar's Satta.

Says exhibitor Roshan Singh, "I had booked Khushi for my theatre [in Patna] from January 31. Now I have a week extra. I will probably extend Dum by a week though it is not doing as well as expected. While they complain about no time before the World Cup, filmmakers are ready to let one precious Friday go without releases."

Explains producer Boney Kapoor, "I stand to lose a great deal of money if I go ahead with the release [of Khushi] as planned. I cannot afford to take chances with this film. I would have liked to wait a few weeks. But the World Cup is round the corner." His last production Shakti: The Power was a shocking loser. Khushi was cleared by the censors on January 21 with two minor cuts.

While a strike in some film sectors is the cited reason for the postponement of Khushi, there is another reason for the movie being pushed forward. Mrs Boney Kapoor aka Sridevi's favourite numerologist Sunita Menon declared January 31 an inauspicious date for release. February 7 yielded the smash success Raaz last year. "That can only mean good news for our film," grins Boney.

Raveena has no qualms about releasing Stumped in the thick of the cricket matches. Her film takes a sweeping look at a cricket-obsessed nation. "My film was designed for release during the World Cup," she says.

Several producers may brave cricket's biggest event and pitch their films against the game's allure. Dev Anand's Love At Times Square and Pantaloon's Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne are being released during the World Cup.

Two of director Sangeeth Sivan's films, Sandhya and Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne, may be released the same Friday (February 14) or within a week of each other. Says Sivan, "It is unintentional. Sandhya is a commitment I fulfilled long back."

Several other filmmakers are contemplating a release during the supposedly lethal-for-movies period. They reason things couldn't get worse anyway. Besides, producer Vashu Bhagnani released Biwi No 1 during the 1999 World Cup, and that was a success.