Shah Rukh Khan starrer "Chennai Express" is all set to touch the ₹200 crore mark at the Indian box office.
The romantic-comedy, which also stars Deepika Padukone, collected ₹197.36 crore from the domestic markets. Despite the criticism, the flick remained unstoppable in its run at collection centres.
"#ChennaiExpress [Week 2]: Wed 4.51 cr. Grand total: ₹197.36 cr nett. Note: India biz only... This Express is simply unstoppable," trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted.
The second week breakup of the film based on figures provided by Taran is: Friday ₹6.50 crore, Saturday ₹8.51 crore, Sunday ₹10.22 crore, Monday ₹3.80 crore, Tuesday ₹7.06 crore and Wednesday ₹4.51 crore.
The innovative marketing strategy to woo audience to cinema halls, increased ticket process and huge number of screens has worked for the "Chennai Express" team.
Rohit Shetty's directorial venture now requires another ₹5.11 crore to break Aamir Khan's "3 Idiots" record in India. Last year's Eid release "Ek Tha Tiger" which also smashed several records was expected to take the top position. But the film fell short of ₹4 crore to beat the lifetime collection record of "3 Idiots".
However, looking at box office trend "Chennai Express" should take over "3 Idiots" by the end of the second week or by third Friday.
Talking about the success of his film, SRK told The Indian Express, "I am not saying I know the business 100 per cent but I do know something. Half my life I've kept doing movies and then I think - I want to make movies for the South Indian market but that market can change, taste can change. I want to make movies for critics but critics and their appreciation can change for a certain kind of cinema. And then I make movies because my heart says so."