'Boss' Rajnikant rocks Bahrain too

Dubai, June 17 (IANS) South Indian superstar Rajnikant's "Sivaji: The Boss" created a record of sorts in Bahrain with theatres reporting 100 percent occupancy mainly from the Indian community.

So intense was the pre-release hype in the Gulf country that tickets were sold out two days before the film released Friday.

"The movie has made a historic mark in Bahrain because it is the first time more than one theatre is showing only one movie over and over," said Sunil Balan, marketing and public relations head of the Bahrain Cinema Company.

"This is also the first time we have experienced 100 percent occupancy in our theatres for any movie just an hour after release. The seats for all the shows at both theatres are already 90 percent booked for the next week - a record."

Balan added that the movie was expected to run in Bahrain for at least a month and nearly 5,000 people saw it Friday alone, the Gulf Daily News reported.

"The movie is simply stunning, splendid and superb," Vijay Kuma, an accounts executive, said after watching the 'first day first show' of "Sivaji". "The long wait was not a waste, the hype was not a façade."

Directed by Shankar, "Sivaji" is the story of a man who returns to India from the US to do good for the people. It is said to be the most expensive movie ever made in India with a whopping budget of over Rs.600 million ($15 million).

In several Indian cities, specially in south India, Rajni fans waited in serpentine queues to get tickets and were ready to pay anywhere between Rs.1,000 to Rs.1,500 for a single ticket.

Rajnikant has ruled the Tamil film industry for over 30 years. The actor's popularity has, over the years, transcended Indian boundaries. He has fans even in places as unlikely as Japan.

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Sivaji - The Boss