Sawt Falasteen - Indian hit movie 'Dhurandhar' breaks Bollywood records

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 ($108 million) 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 $25 million in takings.

"Dhurandhar has become a massive cinematic phenomenon," said veteran 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.

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST