Though the unprecedented advance booking for "Mangal Pandey - The Rising" has ensured a house-full for a two-to-three week run for the film but those who did not book in time will have to make do with some films high on skin show.

Negar Khan will up the temperature as she sheds all inhibitions in "Double Cross" and Preeti Jhangiani will try to outdo her in "Sauda" that releases alongside "Mangal Pandey".

And next week, Bobby Deol, Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra will try and steal the thunder from Aamir Khan in "Barsaat". Interestingly, Bobby's debut film was also titled "Barsaat".

His career has been in a shambles and he is clearly hoping that the new "Barsaat" helps him to regain his stature. Promos suggest that both Bipasha and Priyanka will be seen trying to outdo each other while gyrating in the rain.

But the real competition for them will be Aamir Khan with Rani Mukherjee, in the avatar of a sex worker, and British actor Toby Stephens' romance with Amisha Patel in "Mangal Pandey".

For connoisseurs of good cinema, the film to look out for in the month ahead will be Nagesh Kukunoor's "Iqbal: The Rampur Express".

Produced by Bollywood's self-proclaimed showman Subhash Ghai, it is about Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), a young village boy who dreams of making it to the national cricket team.

Ghai's backing for an offbeat film is a marked deviation for the flamboyant filmmaker. For Hindi cinema, Ghai's change in stance is an affirmation that big production banners are recognising the virtues of bankrolling original cinematic visions. For Bollywood this means a giant leap.