SETTING THE PACE: Bachchan at the IIFA awards, Malaysia in April

The battle lines are drawn. But the battlefield this time is not Mumbai. Its London. Come June and the Bollywood rivalries will set the London stage sizzling: on the cards are two megashows by cine world heavyweights-one by the young Titan Hrithik Roshan and another by an entire constellation of stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Preity Zinta. The latter goes by the title "From India With Love".

This clash of reel stars also has a clash of dates-both are scheduled for the last week of June. Hrithik will gyrate to his first show in London on the 22nd at Dockland's London Arena and "From India ..." will have two shows on the 29th and 30th at the famous Hyde Park. Yes, an open-air show-a first for Bollywood.

The stars will dance, sing, act and perform stunts to win over their most cherished love-the audience. But the audience will have to pick and choose. To shell out a few hundred pounds for a family outing to two mega-Bollywood events is not a very attractive option even for the most avid Bollywood aficionado. "For the best seats in the house people will have to pay £80," says Safdar Hussain, promoter of the Hrithik Show. Unhappy about the direct clash with the Hyde Park show, he agrees that the timing of the shows would affect ticket sales. "People will have to choose between the two. Different dates would definitely have helped."

There can be no two opinions on that. It would have been best had the Hrithik promoters stuck to the original date-May 2001. A year ago, Hrithik was red hot and would have drawn in massive crowds. One year down the line, the star has lost some of his sparkle: apart from the series of flops, Hrithik failed to show up to promote his show in London.

Scores of mediamen waiting to speak to the star were not too happy when his father Rakesh Roshan came to offer lame excuses: Roshan Sr said Hrithik had a severe migraine-that, however, did not prevent him from attending a fashion show the same evening at Selfridges.

The London show might well turn out to be a major headache for both the star and his promoters, who reportedly are having a hard time selling the show. Hrithik is to be accompanied by Kareena and Karisma Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Aftab Sivdasani. Not quite a star cast with very few hit songs to dance to. The venue has a few plus points though; namely that the Docklands' London Arena will be hosting a Bollywood nite for the first time.

FROM INDIA WITH LOVE NOVELTY: First-ever open-air Bollywood show. STARS: Amitabh, Aamir, Shah Rukh, Aishwarya. STRENGTH: A £2 million set and 18 screens. VENUE: Hyde Park on June 29 & 30. TICKETS: £35, £60, £80.

FACE-OFF: The co-stars of K3G will compete to draw in the numbers

THE HRITHIK SHOW NOVELTY: First Hrithik show in London. STARS: Hrithik, Kareena, Karisma, Aftab, Arjun. STRENGTH: Long awaited and well-publicised. VENUE: London Arena, Docklands on June 22. TICKETS: £20 to £100.

Hussain says, "London arena in Docklands is a new city, new place and fully seated. In Hyde Park you will have to pay £35 for standing. For an Indian event, people go all dressed in Indian clothes. They need place to sit."

"From India ...", on the other hand, is pulling out all stops to sell its new concept-an open-air mega show. The stakes are high. The Hyde Park has a capacity of over 65,000 and the promoters are banking on the novelty value. For British Asians used to attending Bollywood shows at concert halls dressed up in all their finery, it will be a change to turn up in jeans and have a picnic while watching their favourite stars do their numbers. The organisers are leaving little to chance: other than the £2-million set, the venue will have 18 massive screens covering not just the show but also a Sri Lanka-England cricket match and the World Cup in Japan. Quite a lot to choose from.

But the real choice is between the Hrithik and the Shah Rukh shows. Some like Sharda Mehta, 15, have already decided to go for the Hrithik show. "I really like the way he dances. If only I get a chance to meet him as well... ," she muses.

Hussain is confident that many more think like her, particularly among the young because Hrithik has never done any shows in the UK before. "Ours is a fresh show. Londoners have seen Amitabh, Shah Rukh, Aamir many times before," he reasons.

But can a lone Hrithik fight against the mighty Khans, Big B's superstar magic, Ash's charm and Preity's effervescence? Shah Rukh is set to croon Cannes-premiered Devdas scores with beauty queen Aishwarya and Aamir plans to bring the Lagaan cricket team to the show.

Paminder Singh, a college student from Manchester, has given her verdict. "I won't miss the Lagaan team for anything. Also, it would be nice to go for an open-air event like other pop concerts. To see Amitabh, Shah Rukh, Aamir, Ash and Preity is wonderful."

For the Londoners, it might still be possible to attend both shows, but the fans flying in from Rome, Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Dubai will have to opt for one. "We have received a fantastic response from Europe," says Ranjana Mitra, promoter of the "From India ..." show. "All our VIP tickets have gone. Just today, I received a call from Hong Kong from a lady who wanted to purchase tickets for the whole family." Even Mitra and group, however, agree that it is unfortunate that both shows will hit London within a week of each other.

But there are no rival parties at work here. Both shows are the handiwork of Moranis' Cineyug Entertainment. Why should a promoter cut his own returns by putting up two mega shows literally on top of each other? Perhaps it was just an unlucky coincidence.

Last year, Hrithik's show had to be postponed because there were rumours of underworld links and the Indian Government too asked the star not to venture out for security reasons. Hussain dismisses the rumours saying Hrithik had a problem with dates.

Another possible theory for this self-inflicted loss could be that the Moranis are trying to teach a lesson to the Bollywood Badshah of UK, Farat Hussain, who reportedly owes Cineyug Entertainment a tidy sum in past dues.

While the stars and promoters are busy adding up the figures and subtracting the dates, Londoners can be assured of an exciting summer. Shah Rukh, Aamir and Ash will be performing from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Devdas, Taal and Lagaan. For, Londoners used to popping down to Wembley Arena for the usual Bollywood nites, the summer of 2002 will be different. Mitra is confident that people will enjoy a true summer-style show in the open. Doomsayers are quick to point out that English summers are notorious for their unpredictability. But the show promoters are prepared for any eventuality. "If it rains, we will provide umbrellas," quips Mitra. Dancing in the rain is something most Bollywood stars are used to.