Naman Ramachandran
BANGALORE — “PK”, a Bollywood satire on organised religion, is now the highest grossing Bollywood domestic film of all time.
Starring Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, the December 19 release has collected $45.1 million inIndia, edging past Christmas 2013 release “Dhoom 3,” also starring Khan, which had total Indian earnings of $44.9 million.
The UTV Disney-backed picture is directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Globally, “PK” has earned some $60.5 million so far, including the India box office and $7.8 million in the U.S. The all-time top global earner from India remains “Dhoom 3” with $85 million.
Thanks to “PK”’s fearless lampooning of religious practices in a country where religion is a holy cow, right wing groups have vandalised several cinemas running the film and filed court petitions demanding a ban on exhibition. India’s Supreme Court dismissed these on the grounds that the Central Board of Film Certification had already cleared the film for exhibition.
Meanwhile, the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have waived entertainment tax on the film, thereby making tickets cheaper. States usually waive the either for award winning films or for those providing wholesome entertainment, like “PK.” It is a discretionary call intended to enable more people to watch the film at a lower price.
The UTV Disney-backed picture is directed by Rajkumar Hirani and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra.
Globally, “PK” has earned some $60.5 million so far, including the India box office and $7.8 million in the U.S. The all-time top global earner from India remains “Dhoom 3” with $85 million.
Thanks to “PK”’s fearless lampooning of religious practices in a country where religion is a holy cow, right wing groups have vandalised several cinemas running the film and filed court petitions demanding a ban on exhibition. India’s Supreme Court dismissed these on the grounds that the Central Board of Film Certification had already cleared the film for exhibition.
Meanwhile, the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have waived entertainment tax on the film, thereby making tickets cheaper. States usually waive the either for award winning films or for those providing wholesome entertainment, like “PK.” It is a discretionary call intended to enable more people to watch the film at a lower price.
