Shah Rukh Khan v Sony

This Diwali Hindu New Year weekend sees the global release of Om Shanti Om and Saawariya, two of the biggest and most anticipated movies of 2007.

OMS features Shah Rukh Khan, his new six pack and over thirty top Bollywood stars. Saawariya (Beloved) is the latest from A-list director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, has two star kids making their debut and the marketing power of Hollywood’s Sony behind it.

Whichever film wins the box office race remains to be seen, but the King Khan is confident of his film’s success. As he says: “I am India’s giant and I have love on my side. Mine should be the bigger hit.”

Bollywood: one big happy family

Ahead of Om Shanti Om’s worldwide London West End red carpet premiere last week, Shah Rukh Khan organised an exclusive private screening on Tuesday at the plush Yash Raj studious in north Mumbai.

There appears to be no Khan-Bachchan tension as not only does Amitabh Bachchan appear in the film, he and his son Abhishek were present at the screening. Rishi Kapoor, father of Ranbir who is making his debut in the rival release Saawariya, was also present.

Gay friendly icon

Ranbir Kapoor’s nude scene has been cut by the Indian censors from Saawariya but there is still ample opportunity for the newest gay icon on the block to display his torso in the film.

Does Kapoor think he has a better body than Shah Rukh Khan’s?

“I wouldn’t want to compare my toe-nail with him!” Kapoor told me.

Does he mind being a gay icon?

“I don’t mind. People should not judge people on their sexuality. It’s no longer a taboo in modern India. I have many gay friends,” the Chelsea football fan stated.

Brainless Bollywood

“He’s hot!” Sonam Kapoor, the lead actress in Saawariya gushed when I asked her opinion of the King Khan.

How does the daughter of veteran actor Anil Kapoor feel about being part of a mainstream Bollywood movie?

“India is a poor country and audiences want to leave their brains at home when they go to the movies. It is a joy for me to entertain people,” she said.

Is she comfortable with Bollywood’s current obsession with beauty and the body beautiful as opposed to acting ability?

“Talent is more important. No one is conventionally good looking in Bollywood right now,” the young actress corrected me.

Salman in T&T: It’s not dynamite

Salman Khan visited Trinidad and Tobago last Saturday to attend a political rally ahead of the country’s general elections. In a country divided largely by racial politics, Khan gave his support to the opposition Indian party, the United National Congress Alliance (UNC-A).

“We love him, that’s why we attended!” Patricia Maharaj, a local housewife who waited for four hours to see the star, told me.

The political ploy did not work: Khan’s presence did not translate into votes. The UNC-A lost the election.

Fancy a £15,000 whiff of Shilpa?

Shilpa Shetty is back in the UK and this time she’s on stage. Shetty’s new stage musical Miss Bollywood has started its UK run.

Before the premiere in Manchester, a charity auction was held in the city last Saturday of Shetty’s new perfume, S2. The normally reasonably priced (£19.99) jasmine scented fragrance went for a whopping £15,000!

Miss Bollywood moves to other UK cities (Cardiff, Cambridge, Birmingham) during November before ending its run at London’s Royal Albert Hall in mid-December.

Welcome to Lollywood

Lollywood or the Pakistani-Lahore based film industry came to the UK last week with the release of In the Name of God. Set in London, Chicago and Lahore, this Pakistani film explores the current clash between fundamentalist and liberal Muslims.

Although it is too long and has a tendency to fall into preachy clichés, the film is a revelation: intelligent, critical and generally well-acted.

— Happy Diwali readers!