Blind belief for reel gains

A look at superstitions that Bollywood is just not ready to let go of...

Blind belief for reel gains

A look at superstitions that Bollywood is just not ready to let go of...

So from seeking shubh mahurats to start their movies to visiting temples and dargahs on the eve of their film's release, our stars and filmmakers won't complete a single venture without invoking support from the Almighty to ensure success.

Ekta Kapoor, who's known to be superstitious, rescheduled the launch of her newest production, Rock The Shaadi, to Dussehra.

It is learnt that initially, the Navdip Singh directed movie, featuring Abhay Deol and Genelia D'Souza, was to start, with an outdoor in Rajasthan, on Friday, October 7.
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"At first, the plan was to complete all the ceremonial puja of Navratri before starting the film," informed a source associated with the movie. He added that towards the end of the nine-day festival, the producer decided to get her film's shoot started on Dussehra itself.

Explaining the production czarina's decision, our insider explains, "Among Hindus, three days in a year are considered the most auspicious - Gudi Padwa, Akshay Tritiya and Dassera.
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So much so that one need not find the best time during these days to start a new venture. Because since eons, the entire day, on which these festivals fall respectively, is believed to be auspicious.

And since Dusshera is one of them, Ekta decided that it was the best day to start her film, instead of a specific mahurat on any other day."

While Ekta was unavailable for comment, Tanuj Garg, CEO of her production house, confirmed that it was rescheduled.

Other instances of superstition

Interestingly, Ekta's superstitious is not just limited to an auspicious time alone. A schedule of her other production, Kya Super Kool Hain Hum, will be shot in Goa.

HitList (July 7, 2011) had reported that the beach state of India was chosen over Bangkok as a number of films shot there, like All The Best, Singham and the Golmaal series which also featured her brother Tusshar, had turned out to be hits.

Sachin Yardi, who wrote the first movie and is directing the sequel, had confirmed the same, saying, "Though the luck factor was also influential to some extent, Goa fitted the requirement of the script perfectly."

Aamir Khan
If you thought a perfectionist like Aamir Khan wouldn't need to resort to such beliefs, you're mistaken. The actor has come to believe that Christmas is a lucky time for him. That's why after Taare Zameen Par, he scheduled the release of Ghajini and 3 Idiots during the December festival.

Apparently, when he locked Reema Kagti directed Dhuaan, the actor was planning a Christmas release. But since it couldn't be completed, he thought of Republic Day. The January weekend has been lucky for him twice, with Rang De Basanti and Dhobi Ghat striking gold at the box-office.

Besides, his Dhoom 3 is already being touted as a Christmas 2012 release. And it's not without reason that Aamir scheduled the release of Delhi Belly on the first Friday of this July. Reportedly, he thought it's a 'lucky' time as his previous production and nephew Imran Khan's debut too had opened in cinemas on the first Friday of July 2008.

Salman Khan
After the success of Wanted and Dabangg during Eid, Salman Khan has been hooked on a release around the festival. That's why Bodyguard was planned as this year's Eid release from the time he signed it. For next year, the actor had first decided on brother Sohail Khan's Sher Khan. But now his Ek Tha Tiger has been finalised as his next Eid release. Considering the extensive production and post-production Sher Khan required, the Khan brothers couldn't complete it in time.

Katrina Kaif
Having come from outside the industry and making it big, Katrina Kaif too has imbibed the superstitious ways of the industry. Never mind if her skirt raised a controversy during the filming of Namastey London in the Ajmer Dargah, she makes it a point to visit the shrine before every release. Even before the release of her last film Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Kat had gone to pray at the mosque that is also a favourite of many B-town folks.

Ajay Devgn
While he adopted Ajay as his industry name over his real name Vishal when he debuted with Phool Aur Kaante, the intense actor was not given to superstitions. However, a couple of average runners at the box-office combined with a couple of accidents saw his mother consult an astrologer. At the behest of the family's jyotish, Ajay dropped the 'a' from his surname and became Devgn. Then onwards, starting with his production All The Best till Singham, the spelling seems to have worked. Never mind if Toonpur Ka SuperHero, Aakrosh and Rascals didn't work. His Golmaal 3 and Singham crossed the Rs 100 crore mark and he hasn't had any injury either.

Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan was one of the few tinsel town citizens not given to superstition. However, things changed this year after his team Kolkata Knight Riders failed to win their first couple of matches earlier this IPL season. A taaviz/talisman he started wearing, seemed to have brought his Knights out from the dark shadows of defeat. And it seems the good luck charm is working for his forthcoming superhero fantasy film too. The trade pundits are positive about his Rs 150 crore plus extravaganza not only breaking even, but also making profit from various revenue avenues.

Rakesh Roshan
With My Name Is Khan, We Are Family and Student Of The Year, Karan Johar might have let gone of his fixation with the letter K. But Rakesh Roshan continues to be superstitious about the alphabet with which he started his innings as a producer (Kaamchor) and director (Khudgarz). So what if his last production venture, Kites failed to soar high. The filmmaker's next Krissh movie has already struck distribution deals amounting to Rs 125 crore. And that too without even a look test, forget a frame being shot.

Subhash Ghai
Subhash Ghai's recent movies might have failed to befit his showman status, but he still believes in one thing - the date, October 24. It's not only his wife's birthday, but also the day he married her. And ever since, he's made it a point to announce his new ventures on this date. With his lucky date drawing near, it remains to be seen what new projects he announces closer to Diwali this month.