Will "Shabd" be able to take on the highly anticipated and much talked about "Black"? Everyone seems to be asking that question these days.

"Black" has stellar performances from Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee as well as Sanjay Leela Bhansali's intense directorial touch.

In "Shabd", a mature performance from Sanjay Dutt accompanies Aishwarya Rai's most realistic role till date. The two films are also likely to have their own international following.

The Yashraj banner, which is releasing "Black" overseas, has planned a grand international release for the film with a record number of prints. On the other hand, considering Aishwarya Rai's current international following, "Shabd" will have its own share of the overseas pie.

The clash between the two releases is more significant because Aishwarya was Bhansali's most favoured actress before she stormed out of his film, "Bajirao Mastani".

The two subsequently sorted out their differences. In a recent interview, Bhansali confessed if he had the option he would love to work with Aishwarya in every film. Industry insiders are more partial to "Black" because of its pre-release hype. Delhi distributor, Sanjay Mehta said: "I would rank 'Shabd' way behind 'Black'.

"I remember Bhansali's 'Khamoshi' had a profound effect on people who saw it but didn't set the box-office jingling. But that was a different era. "This is just the right time for films like 'Black'. Audiences today are entirely different."