So WFAYGTSF? This is what everybody is asking in B-Town. Sorry, I should tell you what the all-caps stand for: Which Film Are You Going To See First? Jokes aside, ever since Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Farah Khan announced their plans to release their respective magnum opuses, Saawariya and Om Shanti Om (OSO), on November 9, this is all that the industry has been focusing on.

It is going to be the mother of all clashes. For instance, you must have heard that Sanjay is upset with Farah after she jokingly observed on ‘Koffee with Karan’ that if Sanjay were to make OSO, he would have called it Ma Shanti Ma. Sanjay took this as a dig at his mother, Leela, whom he absolutely reveres. From Farah’s camp, the rumour mills insist that it was at his insistence that Ranbir Kapoor broke off his relationship with OSO’s heroine, Deepika Padukone.

Interestingly, while the filmmakers are battling it, the industry is enjoying the tamasha, even adding to it. Prior to Saawariya’s music launch on September 15, stories started circulating that Bhansali had rushed through with the event to get a lead over OSO. Even OSO has not been spared. Due to a technical glitch, the name of music composer Pyarelal (of the legendary Laxmikant-Pyarelal team) was omitted from the first lot of CDs. Although the error has since been corrected, there were a few sniggers over this.

Things will only get more sour as the release date approaches. Already the latest buzz targets Saawariya’s release strategy. For OSO, Mumbai’s Eros theatre is believed to have blocked an unprecedented 2,000 screens. In contrast, rumour mills insist Sony Pictures, producer and distributor of Saawariya, has not even booked theatres. Insiders find this a bit preposterous, especially since the film was projected to have a grand release, both in India and abroad.

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