This Diwali, it’s the clash of the titans but both the films have already created a record of sorts by the sheer volume of advance bookings.

Saawariya, the first Hindi film that Sony Pictures Entertainment has produced, claims to elicit an equally good response. Vikramjit Roy of Sony Picture Entertainment told HT: “A grassroots marketing strategy was designed to promote Saawariya. Besides metropolises like Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, we have received an amazing response from lesser known cities like Sangri, Islampur and Beawar.”

Every year, the biggest films are reserved for the Friday closest to Diwali. But the response to this year’s two big releases has been the biggest.

Not just Delhi, even in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, the first weekend shows are all sold out for both the films. Seems like a win-win situation for both. But in an unexpected move Bhansali is doing the premiere of the film two days in advance and if the film gets a positive response from the show Saawariya will march ahead of Om Shanti Om till the response for later comes after its premiere in London.

As for now all roads of Mumbai will lead on Wednesday evening to the premiere of Sony Pictures' first Hindi presentation Saawariya at the IMAX multiplex in Mumbai. The guest list reads like the who's- who of the film industry, from the whole Kapoor clan to the entire Bachchan parivar. They're all going to be there.

On Monday morning director Sanjay Leela Bhansali with his two protégés Ranbir and Sonam Kapoor paid Mr Bachchan a personal visit to invite him for the event. Says Sanjay Bhansali, "We've been trying to invite everyone personally. For me a premiere is as sacred as a daughter's wedding. The personal touch is absolutely imperative," said the exhausted director on Tuesday.

"I haven't been getting much sleep. Not because I'm nervous about the film. There's an anxiety, yes but only because I've attempted something entirely different this time, as I've tried to do each time. The anxiety this time is more about the responsibility that weighs on my shoulders. This is Sony Pictures' first Hindi venture. They need to prove themselves. And in some strange way, so do I every time I make a film my work is scrutinized closely."

The creative magician has never been more at peace. "I've never felt calmer about any of my work than Saawariya. There was an anxiety about Devdas because it was a very expensive film made under very trying circumstances. Black was a gamble because it was songless and serious in theme. With Saawariya I can say I've never had better producers, never created a film under calmer circumstances."

Practically everyone whom Sanjay has invited has agreed to be at the premiere on Wednesday evening. "Except Waheedaji, one of my favourites. I remember she was one of the first guests to arrive at my premiere of Black. Unfortunately she's in Bangalore and can't come. Otherwise everyone I love is going to be there."

OSO Plot
The film begins in 1970, with a junior artist, Omprakash Makhija (SRK) and his unspoken love for a top actress, Shantipriya (Deepika) who in turn loves the then reigning Bollywood big shot, Mukesh Mehra (Arjun Rampal). Om gets killed in a scuffle with Mehra but is re-incarnated as today's Bollywood star while Deepika plays the regular college-going girl. SRK is shown hallucinating about his past life (remember Karan Arjun…Prem?) It all leads to a musical climax ala Subhash Ghai's Karz.

Saawariya Plot
Saawariya is about the lives of the two protagonists played by debutants Sonam Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor waiting for the love of their life to come to them. It is based on Dostoyevsky’s short story White Nights, which revolves around the life of the narrator who spends four consecutive nights in the company of a girl. On the fourth night, the narrator does profess his love to the girl but her lover comes to her and forgetting about the narrator, she leaves with her lover. Apart from the two new faces characters, Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan play pivotal roles in the movie.