DesiDabba - Boss, Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaye

Okay, don’t get me wrong here – this is not a Shah Rukh Khan bashing post. But seriously yaar, you cannot ignore the canny resemblance the two superstars share. The minute Shah Rukh appeared on the television screen during the India against Pakistan T20 Finals, the scary image of Michael Jackson flashed in our (me and my gang) minds. The hair, the face, the sunglasses, the entire package (with the exception of skin shade) - makes one wonder, are they brothers from different mothers? [By the way, would like to thank my dear friend Melody for the awesome SRK-Jackson picture job]

Anyway moving onto another related topic – the entire Bollywood (including the fans) are talking gossiping about the Diwali dhamaka, Om Shanti Om vs. Saawariya clash.

Personally, with most certainty I will be one of those who will watch the two films on the same day. Yes, I can be that loony at times, such is my love for the Hindi Film Industry. But if I have to choose between SRK’s full on commercial attempt and Salman’s minor guest appearance – yup, you guessed it right, Sallu wins from all quarters. And so Saawariya will be given the first priority.

Besides the Salman factor, there are other attractive aspects to Saawariya as well.

1.The lead pair, Ranbir and Sonam comes with immense hype and expectations as well. After all they belong to top-notch Bollywood families. Though I doubt the acting capabilities of many filmy sons and daughters, these two compel me to think otherwise.

2. It’s a Sanjay Leela Bhansali production – I am a sucker for melodramatic emotions and SLB is freaking good at stuffing our faces with it.

3. Saawariya has a vibrant and soothing feel to it. Sanjay’s films are often associated with colors; Hum Dil De Chupke Sanam was filled with various lively shades, Devdas was dominated with color red and Black was presented with different degrees of grays. Similarly, Saawariya’s platelet consists of lively sky blue, white and black – very different yet eye-pleasing result.

4.The other praise worthy quality of SLB is that he successfully manages to create the whole larger-than-life persona in his films. Be it the sets, the costumes, the picturization – everything is grand but yet never out of character. And Saawariya seems to have it all.

5.The film’s story is shrouded in mystery – all we know is that it’s a love story.

6.The film also stars Rani Mukherjee, which is an added star attraction.

On the other hand, here are some of the points which I personally don’t think work in favor of the rival team, Om Shanti Om.

1. Every time I watch the promo of the song Dard-E-Disco featuring 6 packs Shah Rukh Khan, I want to scream out loud, Darr-(h) E (y)-Mujhko.

2. Farah Khan’s debut, Main Ho Naa may have been a box-office hit but frankly it didn’t impress me much.

3.The whole 70s-early 80s look is refreshing but not entirely convincing.

4.SRK and Deepika pairing seems odd – it’s more on the lines of Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu’s coupling in the film Cheeni Kum. Okay, maybe I have exaggerated a little here but surely you get the point.

5. The story is mostly out – it’s based on reincarnation. SRK is in love with a top actress but dies before he could express it to her and then comes back in the next life to complete the circle. And therefore the name Om Shanti Om – Om (70s SRK), Shanti (Deepika) and Om (6 packs SRK).

One thing is certain though, even if the film sucks it is mostly likely to recover its investments (and even make some profits), all thanks to the King Khan’s attachment and over-the-top publicity stunts.

But as they say Bollywood only imitates real-life situations and therefore, sometimes even the crappiest of the films are showered with awards and praises while the deserving ones barely manage to sustain their presence for more than a week.So let’s just wait and watch, who wins the battle this time round.