House Full: Lagaan takes global markets by storm  ( July '14,2001, ET)

THE Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan has hit the jackpot overseas. It's made it to the list of Top 10 releases during its initial weeks in both the US and Britain. And more important, it is one of the few, recent international Bollywood releases that is attracting a 'cross-over' of non-Asian audiences

In the US, after its release on June 15, Lagaan grossed $360,000 in theatre collections in the first week and was at No 15 in a week when the Hollywood blockbuster Doomraider was No 1.

However, the film's per-print collection -— with a release of 39 prints -— showed it at No 5. As a comparison, Doomraider collected $152 million in the first week with as many as 3,000 films!

In the UK, Lagaan was at No 11 collecting $200,000 in in the first week when the charts were topped by Shrek and Doomraider. In its second week, the film made it to the Top 10 at No 10, with a weekly theatrical collection of $155,000.

The UK release was done with 24 prints. CEO of SET Pictures Rajesh Pant, which holds the international distribution rights for the Bollywood blockbuster, said, the significance of the continuing success of Lagaan, now in its fourth week, was that there was a large 'cross-over' audience of non-Asian fans.

He said, in the UK, SET Pictures had deliberately chosen theatres which were not in Asian localities and could attract a mix of both Asian and white audiences.

For instance, in London’s Cine Feltham, there were two prints of Lagaan running — one with English sub-titles and one without. Other centres like Warner Village, the Odeon at Piccadilly Circus and EMD were similarly attracting a mixed race audience, thus promising a long run for the movie.

The film is also running to packed audiences in South Africa, the Middle East and Australia, Pant claimed. This is SET Pictures’ first major international release. The newly-formed division of Sony Entertainment Television earlier released Mission Kashmir abroad, but the film did not make much of a splash.

"We plan to have the international rights of five major Bollywood productions by the end of the year," Pant told the Economic Times. The international rights of Yaadein are with Tips, while the freshly releasing Aks' rights are with Kishore Lulla’s Eros International.

In the international markets, Lagaan has made a mark after the previous big hit Mohabbatein. The other big blockbusters in recent years that have grossed big collections include Taal and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanaam.

However, the big fly in the ointment which distributors like SET Pictures have to contend with is piracy. Ironically, the bigger the film, the higher the DVD piracy rate.

This in turn has a major negative impact on theatrical collections, keeping potential audiences away as they stay glued to their DVD players.