Chennai Express smashes Indian box office records

MUMBAI: Bollywood movie "Chennai Express", starring Shah Rukh Khan, has smashed box office records in just 21 days since it opened to become the most profitable movie in India, data showed Friday.

The film, which has a typical Bollywood mix of action, romance and comedy, has overtaken previous record-holder "3 Idiots" which appeared in 2009 to collect at least 2.11 billion rupees ($30 million) domestically, according to trade weekly Box Office India.

The co-producers of "Chennai Express", Disney UTV, put the figure at a slightly higher 2.18 billion rupees.

In India, unlike Hollywood, there is no central data service for box office takings so there is often a discrepancy in the figures, but both estimates surpass the domestic collection of "3 Idiots", which made a net total of 2.02 billion rupees.

"'Chennai Express' has broken all records for domestic business and is still gong strong in its theatrical run. A good film, good timing and good luck have contributed to its success," Vajir Singh, editor of Box Office India, told AFP.

He said sales were buoyed by a number of public holidays in the first three weeks of release and a strong promotion effort by superstar Khan.

Also starring popular actress Deepika Padukone, the film tells the story of a 40-year-old man who gets embroiled in the dealings of a south Indian don when he rescues his runaway daughter from thugs aboard the Chennai Express train to southern India.

Directed by Rohit Shetty, the film was released in more than 3,500 cinemas in India -- more than double the number in which "3 Idiots" opened in 2009.

"We have pushed the film across language barriers into regions like Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala where Hindi is not the primary language. This film has been appreciated by families and has a repeat audience," said Gaurav Verma, director of Indian distributions at Disney UTV.

The film may also break international Bollywood records. It is reportedly the mostly widely released Bollywood film of all time, and has already made $16.8 million abroad in gross box office collections, according to the producers.

"3 Idiots", a coming-of-age comic-drama starring Aamir Khan, collected $23.90 million abroad, according to Box Office India, making it the Indian highest grosser abroad and overall.

In a recent interview with AFP, Shah Rukh Khan said he was not concerned with box office records.

"I cannot be going by that standard. I am the creative guy. I am an actor first and last, I don't think like that," he said. (AFP)

Cricket feature film screened despite Shahid Afridi's reservations

KARACHI: Pakistani film about a boy emulating the fairytale career of cricket star Shahid Afridi hit cinemas Friday despite objections from the player over "obscene" scenes he fears could damage his image.

The $1 million Pakistan-made movie "Main Houn Shahid Afridi" ("I am Shahid Afridi") tells the story of a young man who dreams of becoming as great a player as Afridi, and the trials he faces as he tries to follow in his hero's footsteps.

The big-hitting all-rounder had given his blessing to the producers, but last week reacted angrily to an "obscene" scene shown in trailers for the film in which the hero hugs and kisses a girl in a nightclub.

He also raised objections to an "item song", a musical performance featuring Pakistani actress Mathira Khan. Dance numbers such as this with scantily clad women are often used in Indian cinema and have little to do with the story.

"I had given permission for the film with an aim to give kids some positive healthy entertainment, to divert their minds towards cricket and it should not have obscene things," said Afridi, 33.

But the filmmakers went ahead with the release without removing the scenes.

"The item song was the demand and if Afridi had any objections, it's his mindset," Mathira told reporters at a private premier of the film Wednesday night.

Cinema-goers had mixed reaction to the movie.

"I don't see any obscenity in the film," said 27-year-old shopkeeper Liaqat Khan. "If we can watch Indian movies in our cinemas which are full of objectionable scenes, why can't we watch this film."

But middle-aged housewife Samina Ali said she was embarrassed after waching the movie.

"I came here on the insistence of my kids who are die-hard fans of Afridi, but this film cannot be watched with kids," she said.

Afridi, who hails from Pakistan's deeply conservative tribal district of Khyber on the Afghan border, has so far played 27 Tests, 354 one-days and 59 Twenty20 matches for Pakistan.

He became an instant hero when he hit a 37-ball century in only his second one-day against Sri Lanka in 1996 -- still a world record.

Afridi also holds the record for hitting the most sixes in one-day international cricket, with 308 in 354 matches.

Pakistan's film industry has been on the skids for years, unable to compete with India's Bollywood.

But filmmakers are hoping the phenomenal popularity of one of the country's best-loved cricketers will translate into takings at the box office. (AFP)