Hello

Cast: Sohail Khan, Sharman Joshi, Arbaaz Khan, Isha Koppikar, Gul Panag, Amrita Arora, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif

Producer and director: Atul Agnihotri

Music: Sajid-Wajid

Release date: October 10, 2008

"Hello", a fast-paced movie on the BPO industry that is set to hit the theatres on October 10, is based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller "One Night @ the Call Center".

While Atul Agnihotri has wielded the megaphone for the film, Bhagat has written the script of the thriller.

"I have written the script for the film and it has really come out well. The changes that were needed to turn it into a good film were made by me with inputs from the director," said Bhagat.

This is Agnihotri's second directorial venture after 2004 box office dud "Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa".

The "Hello" star cast includes Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sharman Joshi, Sohail Khan, Isha Koppikar, Gul Panag, Amrita Arora and Arbaaz Khan and the director is hoping to hit the jackpot with the movie.

"I have not cast Salman because of commercial reasons or being a relative, but it was important for the role to have an actor who has a star status," said Agnihotri.

Told through the views of the protagonist, Shyam (Sharman Joshi), it is a story of lost love, thwarted ambitions, absence of family bonding and the environment within a globalised office.

Shyam, a call centre employee, is going through a rough patch. His girlfriend Priyanka (Gul Panag) is drifting away from him because his career is going nowhere. Priyanka too works in the same call centre.

Then there is an aspiring model, Esha (Isha Koppikar), looking for the big break that seems to be eluding her. Her boyfriend Varun Malhotra (Sohail Khan) seems to have lost interest in her.

It is also the story of Radhika (Amrita Arora), a housewife, who is constantly at the receiving end of her mother-in-law and a beleaguered grandfather, Military Uncle (Sharat Saxena), who has been barred from interacting with his grandchild.

The call centre agents see their world crumbling down when the decision to downsize their office is conveyed to them by their boss Subhash Bakshi (Dilip Tahil).

Amidst all this chaos they get a call from god. What happens after that is what the film is all about.

The film has an interesting story. Perhaps a sound script and loads of big names may break the dry spell at the box office.

While readers have thoroughly enjoyed the drama in Chetan Bhagat's book, it remains to be seen how successful the movie is in entertaining moviegoers.

Indo-Asian News Service