'Pathaan' becomes all-time number one Hindi film in India
Mumbai (PTI): Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's "Pathaan" has become the all-time number one Hindi film in India by raising Rs 1028 crore worldwide since its release in January, said Yash Raj Films (YRF).
According to the studio, the Siddharth Anand directorial raised Rs 1.07 crore nett in India (Hindi 1.05 crore, all dubbed versions 0.02 crore) on its sixth Friday.
"The total worldwide gross is an incredible 1028 crore (India gross : 641.50 crore, overseas : 386.50 crore)" YRF said in a press note.
The movie, a mega comeback vehicle for Shah Rukh after his absence from leading man roles for more than four years, released on January 25 to great hype and record advance bookings.
"It feels incredible that 'Pathaan' is now the number one Hindi film in India today! The love and appreciation that has been showered on 'Pathaan' by audiences is historic and it shows in the box office result. As a director, I'm proud that I made a film that has entertained people globally," Anand said in a statement.
The new milestone comes days after "Pathaan" became the highest grossing Hindi film worldwide in the history of Hindi cinema in its initial run. "Dangal" is the highest grossing Indian film with a reported earnings of around Rs 2,000 crore.
In its initial run or phase one of the release, the Aamir Khan-starrer earned over Rs 700 crore. In its second phase, when it was released in theatres in China, the film's box office crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark in worldwide gross.
Other Indian films that crossed Rs 1,000 crore mark at the global box office include "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion", "RRR" and "K.G.F: Chapter 2".
"Pathaan", which also stars John Abraham and Deepika Padukone, is an important step in YRF's spy franchise where characters from different films will cross paths at some point. The film follows the titular spy (Shah Rukh) who comes out of exile to stop terrorist group Outfit X from launching a debilitating attack on India.
It is the fourth film in producer Aditya Chopra's spy universe, following Salman Khan's "Ek Tha Tiger" and "Tiger Zinda Hai", and "War", featuring Hrithik Roshan.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
