Controversy seems to have helped Kamal Haasan's latest film, "Vishwaroopam" at the box office, as it collections have reportedly crossed ₹100-crore-mark in just four days after its release.
The Tamil version of the film, "Vishwaroopam", was released in 600 theatres across the state on Thursday, raking in more than ₹5 crore on the opening day.
"Just received figures of the all India box office collections of Vishwaroopam. 120 crores and counting. Superb!" tweeted Rahul Bose, who plays one of the lead roles in the film. "Vishwaroopam's the first film I've been a part of that's made over 100 crores. Congratulatuions to the team and mr haasan especially!" he added.
But going by the collections of its Hindi version in the last one week, it is difficult to believe that the ₹95 crore budget film has earned ₹120 crore in just four days.
The overseas box office collection of the Tamil and Telugu versions in the second weekend is ₹7.64 crore, and the domestic box office collection of the Hindi version, "Vishwaroop" in seven days is ₹11.50 crore, according to trade analyst and film critic Taran Adarsh.
All the three versions (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi) of the film were originally scheduled for release worldwide on Jan 25 but it was released only abroad following protests by Muslim groups who alleged that a few scenes portrayed the community in bad light.
The Hindi version, "Vishwaroop" was released in about 800 theatres on Feb 1 but the Tamil version was delayed after the Jayalalithaa government imposed banned on its screening citing Section 144 of CrPC despite clearance by the censor board.
The 11-day ban in Tamil Nadu reportedly cost the actor-producer between ₹30 and ₹50 crore.
The makers of the film finally announced the release date of the film in Tamil Nadu after the state government lifted the ban following an "amicable settlement" with the Muslim groups.
Kamal Haasan not only wrote and directed "Vishwaroopam" but also co-produced it with Chandra Haasan and Prasad Vara Potluri. It features Kamal, Rahul Bose, Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah and Jaideep Ahlawat in the lead roles.
