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BOMBAY, Dec 13 (AFP) - After a series of flops, India's film industry is pinning its hopes on the release of the costliest movie ever churned out by the "Bollywood" studio system.

"Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Ghum" (Sometimes Joy Sometimes Sorrow) will hit screens across the country on Friday, with a further 200 prints destined for release overseas.

The 400-million-rupee (8.3-million-dollar) production -- popularly known as K3G -- boasts the most powerful star cast in decades, bringing together three generations of Bollywood actors from screen legend Amitabh Bachchan via superstar Shahrukh Khan to current hearthrob Hrithik Roshan.

The female cast is equally stellar, with Bachchan's wife Jaya Bachchan, Kajol (Eds: one name) and new sensation Kareena Kapoor.

"K3G is definitely the most talked about film. It's pathbreaking with world class looks, big sets and very Indian emotions," said Box Office magazine editor Indu Mirani.

"It's an ultimate emotional film that every Indian will identify with and the writer-director Karan Johar has left no stone unturned."

K3G is Johar's second film since 1999's "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" which also starred Shahrukh Khan and Kajol and was the biggest hit of the 1990s.

"K3G is a sure shot hit as most Indians will see it at least once. And chances are that movie lovers will see it more than once. The producers will recover their costs easily, while most of the associated distributors will also make profits," Mirani said.

Film experts claim the movie has already received a terrific response, with advance bookings full for the first week.

"K3G will be released in nearly 100 theatres on the Bombay circuit and all of them have 'house full' banners. There is a tremendous mania for the tickets and some theatres are even contemplating a hike in rates," one theatre manager said.

Crucial to the film's financial success will be its reception in the overseas market, which has grown enormously in recent years.

As well as established markets among the large South Asian communities in countries like Britain and the United States, demand for mainstream Hindi films is growing in China and Japan.

Some 800 films are made in Bollywood each year -- more than are produced by Hollywood -- with most offering a unique combination of song, dance and melodrama.

"Over 200 prints will be released overseas and it will get a terrific response there also. Anyway, such big banner movies have always done well abroad," said Mirani.

Taran Adarsh, the editor of Trade Guide, said K3G would help revive the career of Shahrukh Khan and mark a comeback for Kajol, the one-time darling of Indian film audiences.

"But the backbone of the film will be the Amitabh-Jaya combination, the real life husband-wife team," Adarsh said.

Bachchan, or the "Big B" as he is also known, dominated the film industry for two decades and is widely seen as the biggest star in Indian movie history.

Khan's career has been in the doldrums after his home production "Asoka" failed at the box office last month, while Roshan's previous film "Yaadein" was a disaster.

"I have heard good reports of K3G," said movie analyst Amod Mehra.

"Even if the movie does not live up to the expectations, it is an easy hit, thanks to its fabulous advance booking alone. It will comfortably sail through on the strength of its hype. The whole country wants to watch it at least once."

Trade experts also discount the movie's 215-minute running time as a possible hindrance to its success.

"Some of the mega Indian hits like 'Sholay' in 1975 or this year's 'Lagaan' have been lengthy films and yet are big-time grossers. I do not think the length of K3G will affect its success as every frame has at least one big star in it," said Adarsh.

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