The week ahead will witness the release of "Iqbal: The Rampur Express". Directed by acclaimed Nagesh Kukunoor, the film promises to be a connoisseur's delight.

It is about Iqbal (Shreyas Talpade), a young village boy who dreams of making it to the national cricket team. To achieve his dreams, Iqbal has to overcome many difficulties including physical and social ones.

He finds support from none other than a village drunk, played by Naseeruddin Shah.

The film, which features a cameo by former cricketer Kapid Dev, is produced by the self-proclaimed showman Subhash Ghai. Known for churning out masala flicks, Ghai has been financing films by young talents of late.

"Iqbal" will have competition in the form of an experimental film - "Bhaggmati - The Queen of Fortunes". This Zee Telefilms' movie is directed by Ashok Kaul and stars the emotive Tabu. Others in the cast include Milind Soman, Somayajulu and Hema Malini.

The innovative and the striking aspect of the film is the merger of live action and animated characters based on the fairy tale love saga of the prince of Hyderabad and Bhagmati.

Also slated for release soon is "No Entry," starring Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Esha Deol, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley. The Boney Kapoor production is directed by Anees Bazmee.

It is apparently a typical over the top Bollywood comedy that is likely to steal audiences away from "Iqbal". Seems like Kukunoor will have to do with critical acclaim alone.