Om Shanti Om” or “Saawariya”? Audiences aren’t really discriminating as they opt for either of the two blockbuster movies that release Friday and are booked right through the Diwali weekend. The simultaneous release of two of the biggest films of the year has set the box office afire with viewers game to watch both Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Saawariya” — which brings to the screen newcomers Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor — and Farah Khan’s “Om Shanti Om” that stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone.
There was some confusion about “Om Shanti Om” in the multiplexes. Advance booking started a little late following a dispute between multiplex owners and distributors over profit sharing from ticket sales. Shah Rukh Khan, who is also the producer, sold the film to Eros for a reported Rs.700 million. Multiplex owners were at loggerheads with the distributors of “Saawariya” too. The first Hindi film from Hollywood studio Sony Pictures, “Saawariya” cost about Rs.350 million and distributors were demanding 50 percent share from ticket sales of multiplex owners in the first two weeks. But Sony resolved its differences with distributors a little earlier, resulting in Bhansali’s film getting a headstart.