Two Shah Rukh Khan guest appearances in three weeks! First, Samar Khan?s Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye last Friday, followed by Kaal next week. Get ready for a season of some very special guest appearances. Apart from Samar Khan?s film, SRK who can never say ?no? to friends will also be in a cameo appearance in Khalid Mohamed?s Silsilay. He says: ?Both are old journalist-friends. When they asked me to be a small part of their films I just couldn?t say ?no?.?

The superstar can afford to be generous. He has just got some of his close friends to make guest appearances in his home production, Paheli. ?Juhi and Suniel, of course, are old friends. They happily agreed. But Amitji has taken time out from his busy schedule to give us some time for a cameo in Paheli. It?s such a warm sweet and generous gesture.?

It looks like the era of such warm gestures are back in vogue. Guest appearances are the order of the day. And the leader of the bright pack of fleeting movers and shakers is the hyper-busy Mr Bachchan who?s scheduled to make flash appearances in four forthcoming projects.

Besides the two megastars there are other actors ready to give a helping hand, surreptitiously or otherwise. Tamil megastar Madhavan is making a very special guest appearance in a major film featuring one of the Khans. But cannot talk about it openly because the contract forbids it.

In fact, a lot of megastars agree to lend their presence on condition that they are kept out of the publicity. ?It was misleading for the public to see Shah Rukh?s face as prominently as leading man Kamalahasan?s in Hey Ram. That?s what killed the beautiful film. No wonder Shah Rukh insists on keeping his guest appearances out of the publicity campaigns,? opines Arjun Sablok whose film, Na Tum Jano Na Hum, had unbilled guest appearances by some stars.

Aishwarya Rai made guest appearances in Dharmesh Darshan?s Mela and Adhiyaman?s Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam. ?But that was for friends whom I couldn?t say ?no? to,? warns Ash. On principle, she?s against such appearances.

Ever since Raj Kapoor showed up in his avant garde film, Boot Polish (1952), in a local train, and the very next year Meena Kumari decided to sing a haunting Lata Mangeshkar lullaby in Do Bigha Zamin (Bollywood?s first item girl!) guest appearances by distinguished stars have almost become a norm.

Sometimes such guests are forced to stay on long after protocol for guest appearances runs out. This was the case with Amitabh Bachchan in Andha Kanoon and more recently Preity Zinta in Dil Ne Jissey Apna Kahaa. Both the roles started off as ?special attractions?, but got so special that they completely overshadowed the two films? official leads (Rajnikant and Bhoomika Chawla, respectively). Whether the forthcoming guest appearances really help the films to attain stature or turn out to be futile gimmicks remains to be seen.