New Delhi A second-rung actress in a racist row, a high- powered wedding, the jailing of a leading actor, a record number of Hollywood releases, the multiplex boom, and Indian-Pakistani film diplomacy - Bollywood in 2007 was at its histrionic best.
Shilpa Shetty, a promising star on the wane, kickstarted the year with an allegedly scripted scrap on a reality television show.
Goodwill generated from Jade Goody's perceived racist comments against her ended in Shetty being crowned winner of British TV reality show Big Brother in February.
Her public relations minders made every effort to make a killing in Britain by getting her television and endorsement deals, even as many asked, 'Shipla who?'
She hit the headlines again in May when Richard Gere kissed her passionately on the cheek at an AIDS awareness event for truck drivers in Delhi.
More drama followed as authorities issued a warrant for Shetty's arrest after conservative Hindu nationalists and Muslims protested.
While Shetty was trying to wriggle out of the pecks' nasty embrace, much-in-love actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World, completed Bollywood's story of the year - their marriage.
There was intense media coverage and speculation of every little morsel the moment it became known that the two were a couple.
From Aishwarya marrying a tree and a banana to ward off the influence of bad stars, to the legendary actor and father of Abhishek, Amitabh Bachchan visiting Hindu temples across the country at odd hours to pray for the success of the marriage every nugget was written about with a flourish.
The trousseau; who was invited, who was not; dishes for the ceremonies; a last-ditch effort by an alleged Abhishek lover who slashed her wrists; Amitabh losing his cool with reporters as the newly-weds made their way home; and snaps of wedding preparations taken by 'friends' finding their way into the papers.
Also very much in the limelight, was actor Sharukh Khan, who in 2007 had tinsel town tightly wrapped around his stylish fingers. Khan carried off a television quiz show with aplomb and wit; registered more box-office hits than any star; and companies signed him up with glee to promote their brands.
While Khan's name was being screamed by fans, another Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was attending jail hearings.
After being convicted in July for the illegal possession of guns bought from Mumbai's notorious underworld, Dutt spent the year shunting between jail hearings, shooting films while on bail, delivering a hit or two, and doing carpentry in prison.
The jury is still out though on Hollywood's tiptoeing into Bollywood's silver screen space.
The big-ticket movie was Spider-Man 3, almost 600 prints of which were in May simultaneously released across India in English and a few local languages a trend that is catching on.
The film went on to become the most successful Hollywood movie in India, raking in 17 million dollars.
According to a Price Waterhouse Cooper report, the number of Hollywood films screened in India has increased from less than 55 in 2005 to 85 up to November, 2007.
Hollywood's well-marketed blockbusters did well against Indian films all year with Casino Royale, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harry Potter movies doing a roaring trade, and making a dent in the Indian film industry's 3.5 billion-dollar-share in the global 300- billion-dollar film business.
The presence of Hollywood, though, did not and has not cramped the growth of the Indian film industry, which released 1,192 films (of which Bollywood's share was 150 films) in 26 different languages in 2006.
Mulitplexes are playing, a major role in expanding the number of screens across the country, and making the release of films stronger in content more viable.
From one five-screen multiplex in 1997, their number today has crossed 400 - with about 20,000 screens.
More films not following a Bollywood formula saw the light of the day this year than they did last year due to multiplexes, said film director Mahesh Bhatt.
However, it was this traditional formula that struck an enthusiastic chord amongst Indian and South Asian people living abroad.
'Over 20 per cent of Bollywood's revenue came from abroad this year especially from films released in Britain and the US. Many non-Asians and non-Indians enjoy Indian films,' said film trade analyst Komal Nahta.
So it came as no surprise when Sivaji: The Boss, a pot-boiler made in Tamil starring superstar Rajnikanth and released in April, had a tremendous impact in Japan, Britain, South Africa, and countries with a sizable Tamil-speaking population.
India's neighbour Pakistan, which has a huge appetite for Bollywood films, gave temporary approval in November to a cascaded screening of about 20 Indian films, but the censor board in Pakistan has now withheld the right of release.
Though the decision was part of confidence-building measures and diplomacy between India and Pakistan, the Pakistani film industry, which produces about 30 films a year, is undecided about opening its doors.
In France, the Indian film industry took centre stage at Cannes in May as the film festival celebrated co-anniversaries of 60 years of Indian independence and 60 years of the festival - with two days focusing on Indian cinema.
With Indian production companies becoming active globally, and with multiplexes now a fact of life, local media reported in December that several key exhibitors in the Indian market had firmed up plans to release internationally-acclaimed European and Asian films on the Indian theatrical and home video circuits.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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