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Salman for lunch, dinner with Karisma

Suparn Verma in Bombay

It is every fan's dream come true! That is exactly what Wizcraft and GS Entertainment announced on Wednesday with their proposal to launch India Talkies, a theme restaurant. And endorsing it will be the stars -- Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Govinda, Karisma Kapoor, and Mahima Chowdhary.

The theme restaurant is based on the hugely successful Planet Hollywood, only it doesn't have stars on its board of directors. The actors's equity will be their image; they will be paid a percentage of the profits. The stars are on contract for between five to seven years.

India Talkies, its managers say, will promote "Indian cinema, cuisine and culture through its franchisees." The initial plan is to open a prototype in Bombay, which will cost Rs 60 million, spread over an area of 8,000 square feet.

In the next five years, there are plans to expand to Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Madras, and Calcutta, besides going overseas with 10 international franchisees in the United States, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, Singapore, Mauritius, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong.

Associated with the brand are some big names: celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor, who will look after -- what else? -- the cuisine, architect Shakti Parmar, and top Bollywood art director Nitin Desai who will be in charge of the decor. The interiors will reflect the magic of Indian cinema: colourful costumes, scintillating scenes, memorable moments.

The menu, declares Sanjeev Kapoor, will be totally Indian. "Indian cuisine is number two in the world, after Chinese. We will serve the very best of Indian cuisine based on the actors's list of favourites, with dishes like Kabab Khalyanak or Jumma Biryani." Both being names associated with Sanjay Dutt.

Wizcraft is trying to defray real estate costs by charging the property owner an upfront franchise fee and an annual percentage on gross receipts. Representatives from the event management company say they have devised a comprehensive plan to spread awareness about the India Talkies concept. This includes merchandising, which is divided into generic and star specific. The former will be branded items from India Talkies. The latter is the stars themselves. The stars will visit the restaurant on select days, mingle with fans, pose for photographs, sign autographs, and what have you!

The investment in the project involves self finance, as well as joint ventures and institutional finance. The returns expected for the Bombay unit is Rs 400 million over the next five years. Box office earnings from the royalties of all the units (at 7 to 15 per cent of gross receipts) is slated at over Rs 3 billion. Merchandising should earn another Rs 300 million, both over the next five years.

Sanjay Dutt, currently shooting for Dushman in South Africa, sent his video recorded greetings to the project. Shown holding a cup, he delivered his line flawlessly: "I am proud to be associated with India Talkies, Cheers!" and raised the cup... of tea.

GS Entertainment is is owned by Sohail Khan (Salman Khan's brother and director of the upcoming film Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya) and Guneet Walia. This duo will "basically look after the entertainment part of the project," according to Sohail Khan.

The promoters of the project also plan to use local celebrities in other countries to promote India Talkies. "But," declared Sabbas Joseph, one of Wizcraft's three directors, "they will have to be India-friendly celebrities."

In good Hindi film ishtyle, where creativity often borders on plagiarism, the present plan is not just a copy of Planet Hollywood, but follows on the heels of the grand announcement made a few days ago that Shah Rukh Khan, Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala and Gulshan Grover would come up with their own version of Planet Hollywood. Those stars are going corporate: they will be on the board of directors.

"Our announcement is not a kneejerk reaction, we would have made this announcement anyway," says another Wizcraft director Viraaf Zarkari. "We have been working on our project for the last one-and-a-half years."

The stars were in a different frame at Wednesday's meet-the-press. Karisma Kapoor seemed too busy to have time for the milling journalists. When finally nailed and asked what interested her most about the project, the blue-eyed, svelte belle, who was born junder the sign of the obese, Cancer, replied: "Food."

Mahima, the new find, was as hopeful as a debutante on a Friday evening. "I hope they will actually do what they have promised. It is a great idea," she said.

At Rs 400 per cover in India ($ 20 per cover abroad), India Talkies plans to target India's rich and super rich. But these rich patrons have their own nightspots where they invariably bump into Bollywood's movers and shakers, the wannabes and the never-wases. So what would be so special about India Talkies?

Nevertheless, the promoters repose faith in star crazy fans whom they expect to keep India Talkies house full, worldwide. All in order to catch a glimpse of their favourite star and, if they are lucky, a wave and a smile.