Diwali movie releases pit Bollywood titans Karan Johar and Ranbir Kapoor against Ajay Devgn

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      Here in North America, moviegoers are used to major releases over the Christmas holidays.

      In India, some of Bollywood's most anticipated films go into theatres during Diwali, which is the festival of lights celebrated nationwide this year from October 28 to November 1.

      There's already a great deal of buzz and controversy around director Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil ("The heart is difficult"). It stars Bollywood A-listers Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

      It hasn't come without controversy.

      Johar also cast Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, which has enraged right-wing Hindu extremists in the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. They've threatened vandalism to theatres that show Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which is a love story involving a Hindu young man and a Muslim woman.

      Khan was widely praised for playing a writer in Kapoor & Sons, which was produced by Johar and which also starred Ranbir Kapoor's father Rishi.

      Watch the trailer for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

      The other big Diwali release, Shivaay, stars Ajay Devgn, who's also the producer and director.

      The 47-year-old Devgn plays opposite a 19-year-old female newcomer, Sayyeshaa, in an action-packed thriller.

      "Age is just a number," Sayyeshaa told the Times of India. "Mentally, I am 49 and he is 25. He has younger ideas than I do. He is among the country's biggest superstars and I wouldn't miss any opportunity to romance him."

      The title character is a man who is forced to destroy everything, like the Hindu god Shiva, after being pushed to the limit.

      Watch the action-packed trailer for Shivaay.

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