Subhash K Jha

Undaunted by the dismal BO performance of films last month, Hindi filmmakers are set to unleash some of the biggest and most expensive films in recent times in August and September.

Every film in July excluding Anubhav Sinha's Tum Bin fumbled and fell -- some of the biggest disasters were Goldie Behl's Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra's Aks, Subhash Ghai's Yaadein.

Even the first two releases in the first week of August -- Rajiv Rai's Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat and Ahathian's Hum Ho Gaye Aapke -- have failed miserably.

Experts now wonder if the trio of successes in June -- Satish Kaushik's Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, Anil Sharma's Gadar - Ek Prem Katha and Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan -- were only flashes in the pan.

Luckily, the Hindi film industry remains upbeat and is looking forward with tremendous optimism at the two releases this week.

They hope debutant director Farhan Ahktar, son of veteran scriptwriters Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, will mesmerise the nation with his film on male bonding, Dil Chahta Hai, featuring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna as three friends on the threshold of their lives.

In sharp contrast the other release this week is a family drama -- Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke. It features Ajay Devgan in a double role with Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta.

The first-time cast star teams in both films are their USPs.

While a New Age flick rubs shoulders with a traditional love triangle this Friday, on August 24, Tamil maverick director Shankar makes his Hindi film debut with Nayak: The Real Hero -- the story about common man (Anil Kapoor) who gets to become the chief minister for one day.

A remake of the superhit Tamil film (Mudhalvan), Nayak brings Anil Kapoor and Rani Mukherji together for the first time. Sushmita Sen's stunning dance item Shakalaka baby, is already the talk of the nation.

August 31 will witness the release of another multi-starrer -- Rajkumar Santoshi's film about female bonding, Lajja, carries glowing preview reports.

The dream cast features Madhuri Dixit (in her second release this August), Manisha Koirala and Rekha. All three are said to have given award-winning performance. Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgan sportingly provide masculine support in this women-centric drama.

September too seems glutted with big-budget releases including Sunny Deol's flick Indian, directed by first-timer Maharajan. The film, which opens either on September 14 or 21, has been completed in only eight months.

September 21 is, in fact, a decisive Friday for the film industry, with three or four biggies set to jostle for the audiences' attention. Abbas-Mustan's intriguing romantic thriller Ajnabee featuring Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Kareena Kapoor and newcomer Bipasha Basu, rubs shoulders with David Dhawan's film Kyonki Main Jhoot Nahin Bolta featuring Sushmita Sen and Govinda.

Tucked away in a dreamy corner are some truly interesting little-big films striving to break the commercial mould while working within the mainstream milieu. Topping the list are Mahesh Manjrekar's Ehsaas, which opens on September 14.

And Priyadarshan's Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar, which is scheduled for September 21.

Both films have Sunil essaying never-before roles. In the emotional drama, Ehsaas, he stars as a single parent struggling to bring up his son. In the working-class comedy by Priyadarshan, he fights a battle of tenancy with Mahima Chaudhry.

The most interesting aspect of this season's surfeit of cinematic sensations is that the audiences will get a chance to see the biggest mainstream stars stretching themselves as actors.

Indo-Asian News Service