In a fading summer when many of Bollywood's biggest bets failed to pay off, it was familiarity in the form of seasoned star Salman Khan and carnal titilations that resonated with movie audiences.

The box-office success of Yash Raj Films "Dhoom" on the heels of smashing hits like "Main Hoon Na", "Murder", "Masti", "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" and "Hum Tum" saved the summer of 2004 from becoming a one of discontent for Bollywood.

The John Abraham-Abhishek Bachchan-Uday Chopra-Isha Deol and Reema Sen starrer "Dhoom" became a hit in less than 100 days after Rani Mukherjee-Saif Ali Khan-romantic caper "Hum Tum" from the same illustrious production house floored cine goers.

Sleek bikes and action stunts made the film a must watch for college-goers, giving it a bumper opening all over India - and it has sustained audience interest. Its success has helped distributors quickly recover from the debacle of the much-hyped Kareen Kapoor-Shahid Kapoor-Fardeen Khan-starrer "Fida", which was a washout in the second week after its release.

The success of Kunal Kohli's "Hum Tum", which was propped up by a highly innovative marketing campaign, brought a mixed bag of fortunes for its stars.

Post the success of the film, Rani Mukherjee is riding high with reports that she will work with internationally acclaimed director Mira Nair, but Saif Ali Khan's personal life has plummeted with the reported estrangement from his wife.

Thrillers of the supernatural kind have been given a royal ditch by viewers which the latest victim being the multi-starrer "Rakht". No amount of item numbers could save this film by liquor baron Vijaya Mallaya that got a lukewarm opening.

Ditto for last week's other - "Hum Kaun Hai" - which was a rip-off of Nicole Kidman's "The Others" and failed even to get a decent opening in spite of the presence of Dimple Kapadia, Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.