The impending release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black" seems to have triggered a strange 'black' mood in Bollywood - two other films with the word in the title are also awaiting release.

Now a few weeks after Bhansali's "Black", Ajay Devgan will be seen in a film entitled "Blackmail", followed by Anurag Kashyap's controversial "Black Friday".

The last Bollywood film with the word 'black' in the title was Vijay Anand's "Blackmail", which came in the mid-70s.

Three 'black' films in a month seem hardly coincidental after years of avoiding the colour of darkness and mystery as being unlucky.

In fact there was a film by G.P. Sippy in 1959 called "Blackmailer". The title was changed to a more conventional "Bhai Bahen" to suit audiences' sensibilities.

Tanuja Chandra wanted to call one of her films "Andhera" (darkness). She was told by distributors to find another title if she was serious about making it. Tanuja hastily changed the title to "Sangharsh".

Now the stigma attached to the colour black has gone. And the credit for this is being given to Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

"Really?" he laughs through his pre-release tensions. "Black" is being readied for a worldwide release on Feb 4.

Bhansali takes a break from the backbreaking job of mixing the film to ponder on the relevance of the title. "I don't know about other films with the word. But black has always been my favourite colour. I wear black clothes most of the time.

"The colour calms me. When I decided to make a film about the world of the sightless, 'Black' was the title that came to mind immediately. Just like 'Devdas' had to called only that, my new film could have no title other than 'Black'.

"It says everything that needs to be said about the world of my characters and also about the significances that underline the so-called normal world of people who see and yet remain blind."

Getting personal Bhansali confesses, "Yes, I do get into black moods. Which creative person doesn't? The power to create something beautiful comes from that pitch-blackness of not knowing; the anguish of trying to get out of that state of darkness is what makes the colour black so challenging, exciting and productive."

Pausing to look at the enchanting posters of his new film with guru Amitabh Bachchan and pupil Rani Mukherji caught in stirring motions of bonding, Bhansali says, "A lot is being written about my black moods. Not all of it is true.

"I certainly don't turn violent on others... If you see my films 'Khamoshi', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and now 'Black' you'll realise my characters too inflict pain on themselves, thereby creating a painful chain-reaction in the characters around them."

One thing is for sure. "Black" will redefine almost every rule of mainstream filmmaking. Bhansali moves away from the glowing-oranges and flaming-reds of "Devdas" to create a new colour scheme of resplendence.

Sighs Bhansali, "Much of the frames in 'Black' are done in that shade. Yet you can't look at a single moment of the film as depressing or defeatist. Like 'Devdas', 'Black' is ultimately a celebration of the human spirit."