June 28, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 12, 1428

MUMBAI: Star appeal, big budgets and swanky foreign locations have all failed to bring cheer to Bollywood as the world’s biggest film industry struggled to make a profit in the first half of 2007.

Most entertainment analysts agreed it was almost impossible for Bollywood to repeat the success of 2006 but the failure to deliver even one blockbuster so far in 2007 has surprised all.

While some films aimed at niche audiences made profits and a few others won only acclaim, the big-ticket Hindi-language films with top stars failed to set the cashbox jingling.

Analysts blamed weak scripts for the failures. “Where are the good stories? You can’t get away with only star appeal and foreign locales,” said Bollywood trade analyst Komal Nahta.

“If you have a good script, chances are you will have a hit, stars or no stars.” Original scripts and sequels like those involving a flying superhero, a lovable hoodlum and the story of a suave thief, gave Bollywood a rare, super-hit filled year in 2006.

The good times had actually rolled over from 2005 which was until then the best year in terms of revenues, with new marketing strategies, opportunities offered by the internet, mobile phones, gaming and merchandising helping boost profits.

But in comparison, analysts said, the turnover in the first six months of 2007 was just a fourth of about $55 million collected during the same period in 2006.

The 2007 box office front-runners are “Guru”, said to be inspired by the life of Indian entrepreneur Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of the Reliance group, and “Namastey London”, a romantic comedy partly shot in London. But the list of doomed big-budget films with top stars is long: “Salaam-e-Ishq”, “Eklavya”, “Nishabd”, “Tara Rum Pum” and “Jhoom Barabar Jhoom”, among others.

“Once again, it has been proved that big names will not guarantee a hit,” said trade analyst Taran Adarsh.—Reuters