'Dangal' becomes fifth highest grossing non-English movie ever
'Dangal' is breaking one record after the other. It is now the fifth highest-grossing non-English movie ever. This week, it became the fifth non-English movie (after 'The Mermaid', 'Monster Hunt', 'The Intouchables' and 'Your Name') to have surpassed the $300mn mark. Of global ticket sales worth $301mn, $179.8mn came from China and $84.4mn from India.
Aamir Khan's Dangal became the second Indian film, after Baahubali 2, to cross the Rs. 1,000 crore mark worldwide. Interestingly, however, a bulk of this amount comes from its release in China, which, going by the current trend, is set to far exceed the film's lifetime business in India. Dangal was released as Shaui Jiao Baba (Let's Wrestle Dad) in China on 5th May.
Last month, both Aamir Khan and Dangal director Nitesh Tiwari travelled to China to promote Dangal. Suffice to say, the trip was definitely worth it.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal tells the true story of Indian wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir Khan) who taught his two daughters, Geeta Phogat (played by Fatima Sana Shaikh) and Babita Kumari (played by Sanya Malhotra), wrestling. Dangal was critically acclaimed and won four awards at the 62nd Filmfare Awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Aamir Khan), and Best Action.
Dangal released in India on 21st December 2016 in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu, and saw a phenomenal run in the country. At the time of release in December, Dangal hit over 4,300 screens in India, and over 1,000 screens overseas. Dangal earned a massive Rs. 387.38 crore during its run in India, becoming the first Indian film to cross the Rs. 360 crore mark.
Dangal was declared tax free in six Indian states - Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chattisgarh, and Haryana - to promote the government's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme aimed at reducing selective abortion of female fetuses, and for promoting girl child education.
