Bollywood is becoming more creative

Business in Bollywood is booming and so is creativity. A fast-track action thriller, a subtly satirical comic caper, a raunchy sex-comedy, a celluloid adaptation of a classic and a handful of small budget offbeat fables have all made it big at the turnstiles, making it impossible to predict emerging trends.

Making matters more complicated were the three dramatically different film debuts this week by new kids on the block - Shoojit Sircar, Kabeer Kaushik and Ishan Tridevi.

While Shoojit enjoyed a more visible debut for his love story "Yahaan" set in the terror-infested state of Jammu and Kashmir and Ishan's "7 1/2 Phere" got noticed easily for its peppy title and star cast, it is Kabeer's "Sehar" that has critics sitting up and taking note.

Packaged as a political thriller, "Sehar" stands out for its individuality.

Though the filmmaker is trying to sell it as mainstream film, it is as offbeat as can be and therein lies its beauty.

Starring Arshad Warsi, Pankaj Kapoor, Mahima Chowdhary, Sushant Singh, Suhasini Mulay and Rajendra Gupta, the film based on the nexus between politics and crime in north India is a remarkable debut.

"Yahaan," starring Jimmy Shergil opposite newcomer Manissha, is a love story set against the backdrop of the tragically beautiful Kashmir Valley. It seems set to be an average grosser at the box-office given the fact that there has been a dearth of love stories in Bollywood.

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7 1/2 Phere