After the disappointing performance by films such as Baadshah, Hello Brother and Dil Kya Kare, the Bollywood film market in North America is about to receive a major boost. Next month, in time for Diwali (the biggest movie-going season in India), Eros Entertainment is releasing one of the most awaited films of the year -- Rajshri Production's Hum Saath Saath Hain. The film is directed by Sooraj R Barjatya, whose last two films, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Maine Pyar Kiya were the top-ranking blockbuster hits of the last 10 years. "We are treating it [ Hum Saath...] like one the biggest films of the millennium," said Behram Shahparast of Eros, indicating the high expectation the distribution company has of the new film. He added that Hum Saath... would be released on at least 50 screens in North America. Except for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Taal, which opened on more than 40 screens, most Indian films get a 20-plus theater release.This weekend, Eros, the leading Indian film distribution and video company is releasing two new movies, Mast and Vaastav, both of which have received a good word of mouth in India.

Meanwhile, Deepa Mehta's Earth continues to do steady business in the US, having grossed approximately $ 300,000. This weekend the film opens in two major cities -- Boston and Chicago -- while continuing to show in small art theaters in New York City, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Kona, Hawaii. Mast is directed by Ram Gopal Varma, whose previous films have included critical and box-offices successes, Satya and Rangeela. Mast stars Varma's regular female lead -- Urmila Matondkar with a young newcomer male actor, Aftab. The film is being released on 26 screens in North America. Vaastav, starring Sanjay Dutt and Namrata Shirodkar and directed by new film-maker, Mahesh Manjrekar, is showing on 16 screens.Shahparast said that the two films were being released on fewer screens as compared this summer's blockbuster Taal (which opened on 42 screens in its first weekend), due to the limited number of theaters showing Bollywood films in North America. In total, Mast and Vaastav will show on 42 screens.

Subhash Ghai's Taal continues to perform strong in North America and England, to the surprise of most industry observers, especially since the film did moderate business in India. Shahparast said Taal's gross receipts could quite easily reach $&nsbp;2.25 million in North America; it has already grossed $ 2.1 million. Taal is nearing the $ one million mark in England. Dil Kya Kare is wrapping its run in America with a disappointing $ 300,000. Its gross plummeted by 71 per cent in the second week, followed by a 60 per cent erosion in the third week. In England, it has fared better, going for a projected $ 500,000 gross. Mehta's Earth opened six weeks ago on September 10. Since then the film has been doing slow and steady business. "The film definitely has legs," Emily Russo, co-president of Zeitgeist Films said. "It has been doing very consistent business."

In New York, the film has been showing for the six weeks at the two art houses -- Lincoln Plaza and Quad Cinemas. According to Hollywood trade publication Daily Variety last weekend the film's box office gross receipts dropped by less than 10 per cent at the two theaters. Russo, conceded that Earth had not performed well in Los Angeles, where currently it is only running in matinee shows on Saturdays and Sundays, though Los Angeles was considered a strong market for art house and foreign films. The film, which has generally been received well in the mainstream media, did not receive a strong positive review from the film critic of Los Angeles Times. Over the next few months Zeitgeist will release Earth on 20 other screens in 11 states across US. Russo projected that the film's final receipts in the US should be over $ 500,000. An indication of the popularity of Mehta's film among the south Asian community in the metro New York City area: Last weekend Zeitgeist released one print of the Indian version of the film, titled 1947: Earth at the Strand theater in Plainfield, NJ. On Friday, October 8, Rahul Khanna, one of the film's stars, appeared at the Strand Theater to introduce the film. Earlier, last month, Khanna and writer Bapsi Sidhwa were present at the opening of the film at The Greenway Theater in Houston. "We had been getting calls from Indian theaters for the Indian version of the film. There was demand for it in the Indian circuits," Russo said. So we made arrangements to get the prints from India." Russo said the Indian print carries additional music and complete songs. The other major difference, she added is that the Indian print is not subtitled. This week the Indian version is showing at the Village VII theater in Hempstead.

The desi movie business in North America has been steeped in gloom for over six weeks with the disappointing earnings of films like Mast and Dil Kya Kare. Now it hopes for a boost on Friday, November 5, when Eros Entertainment releases Rajshri Production's Hum Saath Saath Hain on over 60 screens. Initially, the movie was to open on 50 screens but exhibitors are apparently convinced of the movie's wide appeal. Talking about the wide distribution of Hum Saath, Behram Shahparast, a spokesperson for Eros, said that Regal Cinemas, a multiplex in North Bergen, New Jersey will release the film on all of its 13 screens. This summer's huge hit, Subhash Ghai's Taal, which has grossed about $ 2.1 million in North America, also opened on all 13 screens at Regal Cinemas. Village VII cinema, a multiplex in Hempstead, Long Island will show Hum Saath on all of its seven screens. This is the first time the theater is showing a movie on all its screens the same week. In Indianapolis and Toronto, the film will be shown on giant IMAX screens.

This would be the biggest opening for any Bollywood film in North America. Taal and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam each opened on more than 40 screens. The worldwide release of Hum Saath Saath Hain is going to coincide with the Diwali weekend, the biggest movie-going season in India. Eros Entertainment says it is treating the film like "one the biggest films of the millennium." However, other than giving the film a wide opening, the distribution company is does not have any major marketing plans to sell the film. "Basically, the movie is selling itself," Shahparast. "It is a highly anticipated movie." He was referring to the fact that it is directed by Sooraj R Barjatya, whose last two films, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Maine Pyar Kiya are among all-time top-ranking blockbuster hits in India, the United Kingdom and North America.

Hum Saath stars some of the top movie names from Bollywood -- Salman Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Tabu. It also has Sonali Bendre, Saif Ali Khan, Neelam and Mohnish Behl. Moreover, the music and the lyrics of the film are the work of the same team that brought the hit music of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun -- composer Ram-Laxman, and lyricists Ravinder Rawal and Dev Kohli. Shahparast said that Eros is pursuing the "normal traditional methods of marketing," including large-scale advertising on south Asian cable and regular television programs, and radio and print advertising. In addition, Eros plans to give viewers who go to see Hum Saath promotional coupons for the DVD version of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun. Meanwhile, Mast, which is nearing the end of its run in America, has grossed a feeble $ 200,000 in three weeks, and a far more disappointing $ 60,000 in the United Kingdom. Vaastav, starring Sanjay Dutt, had done worse than Mast, grossing about $ 100,000 in North America. Deepa Mehta's Earth in its eighth week has reaped about $ 460,000 in the United States and about $ 180,000 in the United Kingdom. In its seventh week, it was on 12 screens in North America, down from 17 in the previous week. With several openings ahead, Earth could gross about $ 600,000 eventually, a respectable, thought not a spectacular, take.