‘Baahubali’ mania grips India
Trade analysts predict that the film’s collections on day one will cross Rs700m
hy did Kattappa kill Baahubali?
The question that has been vexing millions of Indian cinemagoers for two years was answered on Friday in thousands of theatres across India that screened Baahubali 2: The Conclusion.
The long-awaited sequel to the 2015 multilingual drama by director S S Rajamouli received a rousing reception with trade analysts predicting its day one collection at Rs700 million (Dh39.9 million) to Rs750 million nationwide.
“The advance booking is crazy; there are corporate bookings of 100-200 seats. There is a repeat value for this film. The opening day collections should be at Rs70 crore [Rs700 million] in all the languages. It’s all set to create history with the film earning Rs230-Rs240 crore over the weekend,” a Mumbai-based exhibitor Akshay Rathi said.
The release of the film was preceded by a publicity blitz that blanketed TV screens, magazines and streets. The massive expectations created by the publicity climaxed on Friday when fans started queuing up outside theatres as early as 5am.
The film released in the UAE on Thursday evening to record advance bookings, said distributors.
“I came at 5am. I got a ticket for the second show [night show]. I wanted a ticket for matinee or first show. But I am happy that I got a ticket,” Anusha, a college student in Hyderabad, said.
Such was the frenzy surrounding the film that fans skipped school and work to watch the first show on the first day of the movie release with many coughing up to Rs 1,500 to buy tickets from resellers.
Fans of Prabhas, who plays the lead role of Baahubali, erected huge cutouts of the star to celebrate the release of the film. Outside cinemas, fans poured milk on the cutouts, copying religious rituals reserved for gods.
Online booking website BookMyShow said they sold more than a million advance tickets in just 24 hours, breaking the record set by .— PTI more on gulfnews.com W