After a tepid run with releases restricted to long-delayed projects and one or two nondescript films, Bollywood's box office is looking for a boom period - come Friday.

As many as four films from diverse schools of thought are set to make their mark next week.

There's the new Kamal Haasan flick "Mumbai Express" directed by the Tamil veteran Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, who had teamed up with the maverick actor in the path-breaking "Pushpak" several decades ago.

This time, Kamal has opted for a light, frothier mood after his last Hindi film, "Abhay", though fiercely individualistic, failed at the box office.

The Kamal Haasan-Rao combination, which gave us "Pushpak" in the 1980s, promises to generate the much-needed heat through this unusual cops thriller.

In addition, the talented, but seriously neglected "Chameli" director Sudhir Mishra, is back with a new film for the same producers, Pritish Nandy Communications.

Mishra's political parable "Hazar Khwahishen Aisi" has already been tremendously lauded at film festivals all over the world.

Its delayed release in India doesn't take away its power, part of which emanates from its impressive cast of seasoned troupers including K.K. Menon and Saurabh Shukla.

"Hazar Khwahishen Aisi" also stars Delhi dude Shiny Ahuja, who was recently seen in "Sins" and "Karam". Will his third time be lucky?

This purported cult drama is, rightly, being given a selective release in just a handful of outlets in major cities.

"We realize the importance of pitching a film at the correct audience. No point in destroying the delicacy of a film like "Hazaar Khwahishen..." by over-selling the product. We're testing waters in the metros, then we'll proceed to release it at other centres," said producer Pritish Nandy.

The Kamal Haasan-produced "Mumbai Express", which is hi-tech enough to be considered a city film aims itself at a far wider audience than Sudhir Mishra's film.

Debutant director Samar Khan's "Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye" too is equally citified in sensibility.

Located in a bustling airport lounge, the film records a few hours in the lives of a cluster of travellers as they meet, interact and go their separate ways.

Samar Khan says he has tried to create a collage of images that should appeal to college-going crowds. Meanwhile, music by Himesh Reshamiyya has enough zing to make this a 'meetha' prospect at the box office.

Journalists-turned-filmmakers haven't been too successful in the past. Will Samar Khan prove the doubters wrong?

Finally, the token woman-centric film with "Khamosh: Khauff Ki Raat", a thriller starring Shilpa Shetty. She had tasted adulations in the heroine-oriented "Phir Milenge" last year and is once again the fulcrum of interest.

Many years ago, Vidhu Vinod Chopra directed the realistic thriller "Khamosh". Now, it's second-time director Deepak Tijori's turn.

Tijori's directorial debut "Oops" about male strippers had created a small stir for all wrong reasons. With "Khamosh...", he hopes to establish his name as a director of some stature.

The film set in real time features lifelike characters and Shilpa is the proud 'hero' of the film - unless we look at newcomer Rajiv Singh as anything but her romantic interest.

Come this weekend and we have four "different" films from directors as diverse as humanly possible.

How much more diversity should the audiences ask for? Box office-wise, these are films that could rake in profits for their makers in no time at all.

Except for the Kamal Haasan release, which needs mass acceptance to show positive end results, all the films this week are niche products targeted at a sophisticated city audience, which is now aware of the difference between a genuinely innovative film and fake a Hollywood ripoff.

Production costs in all, except "Mumbai Express" with its hi-tech special effects, have been kept in check.

All in all, it looks like a strong week at the movies - what with the mighty performance-driven "Mumbai Express", to the unique "Hazaar Khwahishen Aisi", to the sweet-tender romantic comedy "Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye", to smouldering sensuality in "Khamosh..."!