Indian action movie Dhurandhar: The Revenge has swept domestic box-office records as the highest-earning Bollywood Hindi-language film, its producers said Wednesday, and is vying for other top spots.
Beloved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the high-octane and violent movie is the second chapter in the tale of an undercover Indian intelligence agent in arch-enemy Pakistan.
Decried as chest-thumping nationalism by critics, it has been lapped up by its many fans.
It is the first Hindi film -- and only the third Indian movie -- to cross the landmark 10 billion-rupee (US$108mil) mark in domestic takings, achieving the feat after 18 days.
It has also become the the highest-grossing Indian film in North America, the first to exceed US$25mil in takings.
"Dhurandhar has become a massive cinematic phenomenon," said film distributor Raj Bansal. "I have been in the film business for about four decades now, and the frenzy for this film has amazed me."
Starring Ranveer Singh and directed by Aditya Dhar, the sequel to the 2025 blockbuster Dhurandhar - shot simultaneously - jumped to box-office success since its March 19 release.
The nearly four-hour long film has grossed over 160 billion rupees worldwide, according to its film producer Jio Studios.
'Hooting and screaming'
Heavily-muscled star Singh has been a particular draw, with Bansal describing wild scenes in the cinema as the long-haired action hero battles his enemies on screen.
"Middle-aged women watched the first day, first show, despite knowing about hardcore violence and brutal action in it," he said.
"There is a lot of hooting and screaming in theatres."
French President Emmanuel Macron used the film's title track in a social media video during his India visit.
But in domestic takings, it remains third behind two Telugu-language hits -- the 2017 epic Baahubali 2: The Conclusion and 2024 action drama Pushpa 2: The Rule.
It remains well behind the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, the 2016 Hindi-language wrestling drama Dangal, which enjoyed enormous popularity in neighbouring China, pushing its worldwide earnings above 200 billion rupees.
But while the film continues a strong run, maintaining high daily numbers into its third week, trade analysts suggest it will not overtake Dangal, Baahubali 2 or Pushpa 2.
Still, some producers have pushed their film releases to wait for the box office queues for Dhurandhar to die down.
"Nobody is daring to face the film," said Bansal. – AFP
