Om Shanti Om vs Saawariya : Bet and See!

A couple of leading licensed horse-racing bookmakers based in Mumbai said for the first time, odds are offered on films, thanks mainly to the two mega movies, Om Shanti Om (OSO) and Saawariya , releasing on November 9.

"Normally, the producers of big movies avoid a clash of release dates, but in this case it is projected as a big fight. Since both are being released on Diwali day when most people like to gamble, a couple of bookmakers are offering odds and the exercise will hopefully generate more betting interest," a bookie said.

It is learnt that Shah Rukh Khan's Om Shanti Om is the favourite at 75/100, while Saawariya from Sanjay Leela Bhansali's stable is quoted at 5/4. "After regular betting on cricket and polls, betting on films was on the cards. Now that two blockbusters are releasing on the same day, the bookies were quick to seize the opportunity," said Dayanand Mandre, distributor of Om Shanti Om for Karnataka.

A couple of bookies accepting bets said this is a fun trial and that volumes will be low. Nevertheless, a sizable number of supporters of both camps have placed bets and are encouraging their friends to follow suit on Diwali day.

Bookies said King Khan is a big draw and OSO will lead the collections race in the first two weeks. The old Bollywood hats said OSO publicity team had done a tremendous job and comfortably won the pre-release round.

They have played a couple of master strokes. Linking newcomer Deepika Padukone with ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and with the other stories floating around in the media that Yuvraj Singh has also fallen in love with Deepika, the OSO publicity heads have stolen a march. Deepika, supermodel-daughter of Prakash Padukone, has provided OSO a definite edge. The 48-hour countdown has begun, and the betting volumes are already pegged at jaw-dropping Rs 25 crore.

Ikram Khan, TimesOfIndia