Move over Superman, make room for Krrish.
Billed as Bollywood's first superhero, "Krrish" stars Indian cinema's raven-haired heartthrob, Hrithik Roshan, as a young man endowed with special powers who must save the world against the tyranny of -- what else? -- a megalomanic scientist played by art-house movie favorite Naseeruddin Shah.
Anticipation for the movie has been so great that "Krrish" -- he runs like the wind, is as brave as a lion, knows no fear, etc. -- became a cultural phenomenon in India long before its worldwide June 23 release, with shows selling out days in advance. It's already proving to be one of India's most profitable films of the year, despite having one of the largest budgets ever for a Bollywood film.
The film has done well in Indian communities in the United States too: In its first three days in North America, "Krrish" brought in $643,000 in 59 locations including West Hills and Artesia, or just less than $11,000 per theater. Worldwide, the box office haul was reported to be $15 million in its first week, a record for an Indian film.
(The previous record holder was "Fanaa," a recent thriller that brought in almost $8 million in its first week.) "Krrish" has already recouped the $10.2 million it cost to produce.
"We're very pleased," said Ravi Pillai, an operations manager for Adlabs Films USA, the New Jersey-based distributor of "Krrish." "We were expecting a great opening, which we got."
Shiraz Jivani, the owner of Naz8 Cinemas, which shows Indian and other Asian films, said nearly 4,000 people came to see "Krrish" on July 4 at its Artesia venue, where it was running on four screens.
"So far, it's beaten all other movies I've played in my cinemas, and I've been playing them for 18 years," he said.
"Krrish" is co-written and directed by Roshan's father, Rakesh, himself a former Bollywood star, and is a sequel of sorts to the director's sci-fi blockbuster "Koi ... Mil Gaya." It centers around Krishna, who is born with superhuman powers that he inherited from his father, who was visited by an alien when he was younger.
The film is a showcase for stunt choreographer Tony Ching Siu-tung, who worked on "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers." "Krrish" is slick and glossy, with Hollywood-style special effects, but retains its Bollywood charms. Not only does Roshan's leather-clad Krrish fly and leap across great tracts of land; the masked hero sings and dances as well. Like any good Bollywood film, a love story is at the core of it, and plenty of scenes are infused with pathos and the intergenerational drama that Indian audiences love.
