(From top) Shah Rukh and Preity in Veer-Zaara, Dilip Kumar and Madhubala in Mughal-e-Azam, and Abhishek and Antara in Naach

A 44-year-old film. A 30-year-old film soundtrack. A desi Sharon Stone act. A never-ending celluloid liplock? The bunch of four Diwali releases this weekend is quite a bizarre mix. The banners and the stars are so big that all the movies demand a terrific initial. And with more than Rs 100 crore at stake, it is definitely one of Bollywood?s costliest Fridays, ever.

Film: Veer-Zaara

Director: Yash Chopra

Star cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee

Storyline: Squadron Leader Veer Pratap Singh (Shah Rukh) is a rescue pilot with the Indian Air Force who saves a stranded Pakistani girl Zaara Haayat Khan (Preity). They fall in love but circumstances tear them apart. Twenty-two years later, Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani), a Pakistani lawyer on her first case, finds herself face-to-face with an ageing Veer and tries to unravel the mysterious love legend.

Sound of music: The unused compositions of the late Madan Mohan, recreated by son Sanjeev Kohli, have already created quite a stir. The album sales have raced to one million in record time with Tere liye and Main yahan hoon being the favourites.

Top draws: Yash Chopra returns after eight years to direct King Khan (after Dil To Pagal Hai). The SRK-Preity jodi, which could never blossom in Kal Ho Naa Ho. Significant cameos by Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini and Manoj Bajpai.

Flock to: INOX (Forum and City Centre), 89 Cinemas, Paradise, Hind, Menoka

Film: Aitraaz

Director: Abbas-Mustan

Star cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra

Storyline: Sonia Sharma (Priyanka) is one blast from the past that Raj Malhotra (Akshay) wasn?t expecting. This ex-flame gets him embroiled in a legal battle and branded guilty till proved innocent. His only pillar of strength and support comes in the form of lady love Priya (Kareena).

Sound of music: After dishing out one of last year?s biggest musical hits in Tere Naam, Himesh Reshammiya is in full form yet again, mixing some great Indian melodies with techno arrangements. The album may not have been a chartbuster but has enough potential to bring the audiences to the theatres.

Top draws: Not the Ajnabee pair of Akshay and Kareena but the smouldering Akshay-Priyanka twosome is the trump card for this Subhash Ghai production. And to that veteran director duo Abbas-Mustan?s seasoned thriller treatment.

Flock to: INOX (Forum and City Centre), 89 Cinemas, Priya, Navina, Metro

Film: Naach

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

Star cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Antara Mali

Storyline: Set in the Indian film industry, the film revolves around a struggling choreographer Rewa (Antara) and a wannabe actor Abhi (Abhishek). Although they both want to make it to the top, they have totally contrasting ideologies about life, which play a big role in their approach to stardom.

Sound of music: Largely unknown, Amar Mohile and Shailendra Swapnil are given the arduous task of whipping up magic in this intense musical. Berang zindagi and Bandhne lagi have proved to be popular but how one misses one big chartbuster like Ishq kameena or Kambakht ishq?

Top draws: Antara?s anatomy, Abhishek?s arrogance and Varma?s vision. If nothing else, Naach promises to be stripped to the soul. And the Abhishek-Antara chemistry, kiss or no kiss, is sure to involve a lot of biology?

Flock to: INOX (Forum and City Centre), 89 Cinemas

Film: Mughal-e-Azam

Director: K. Asif

Star cast: Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Prithviraj Kapoor

Storyline: A slice of Mughal history, the film traces the love legend of Prince Salim and Anarkali, as they defy all odds to champion the cause of their romance. With elaborate war sequences and grand dance numbers, the film is one of the greatest celluloid epics of all time.

Sound of music: Naushad?s magic returns. Only this time it is digitised and Dolby. Classics like Mohe panghat pe and Teri mehfil mein kismat sound as fresh as ever and the untouched voices find a new soul thanks to the re-mastered acoustic recording.

Top draws: Nostalgia in new light as the oft-seen black-and-white images return in coloured frames. The whole concept of watching a delicately dyed Madhubala romancing Dilip Kumar has created quite a buzz.

Flock to: 89 Cinemas, Jyoti, Jagat