Mughal-e-Azam rakes in Rs 88 lakh within 10 days overseas

Forty-five years after K Asif's magnum opus 'Mughal-e-Azam' was released in India and ran non-stop for three years at theatres, raking in around Rs 3 crore, the re-coloured epic has set the cash registers ringing in the US and the UK. Within 10 days of its international release, it earned $196,000 (about Rs 88.20 lakh).

This is after raking in Rs 27 crore in India since the release of the re-touched film in November last year. UTV Motion Pictures distributed the movie overseas.

"The film's international release was on April 1. It has earned $110,000 in the US and $86,000 in the UK," Ashoka Holla, general manager, Motion Picture Distribution International, told Business Standard.

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh, who tracks oveseas box office collections, has reported that in its opening weekend the movie debuted at the No 24 position in the UK and at No 44 in the US. The film was released in 32 theatres across the US and 13 theatres in the UK.

Holla said that UTV has increased the number of screens in UK to 15 after getting an overwhelming response there.

Ronnie Screwvala, chief executive officer, UTV Software Communications, said, "Indians are watching the movie purely out of nostalgia."

Though the movie is doing the rounds in the 'desi circuit' now, UTV is planning to show the movie in US and UK art houses and release it in Australia and Singapore on May 6.

Apart from the theatrical release, UTV has bagged order for 15,000 DVDs of Mughal-e-Azam. "A Mughal-e-Azam will be a collectible item and so people will buy it out of peer pressure to watch a classic movie," Screwvala said.

Holla pointed out that the company has been receiving enquiries from companies like HMV and Virgin Music stores in London to stock the DVDs. UTV also has plans to make the DVD like a coffee table book.