Hrithik's Krrish conquers Nepal

Six years after he was turned into a villain overnight with his films banned in Nepal's theatres, Bollywood's new superman Hrithik Roshan has conquered the kingdom again with his new blockbuster 'Krrish'.

Released in Nepal on June 23, 'Krrish' is still on for an unprecedented full month.

Gopi Krishna Movies, the multiplex theatre in the capital that was the first target of the 'Hrithik Roshan" riots in the Himalayan kingdom, is now laughing all the way to the bank, wiping out the staggering loss it had incurred earlier.

The cinema was showing "Mission Kashmir" starring Hrithik when a mysterious anti-Hrithik crusade erupted in Nepal.

"It was at our theatre that the rioting started," says Niraj Poudel, managing director of Gopi Krishna.

"A mob stormed the theatre and began ransacking it. They set fire to the Dolby sound system, the air conditioners and the print of the film."

A local publication falsely reported that the Bollywood actor had made demeaning statements about Nepal and its people during an interview with a television channel and the report triggered anti-Hrithik demonstrations followed by attacks on cinemas screening his films. Soon, the disruptions snowballed into riots targeting Indian businesses.

Four people, including a schoolgirl, were killed in the ensuing violence, making the then government as well as theatre entrepreneurs decide to ban the actor's films in Nepal.

"We suffered a loss of nearly NRS 60,00,000 ($80 000) at that time," says Poudel.

"It took nearly a year for the trouble to be settled and Hrithik's next film, 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham', to be screened here."

However, today, he says the loss has been wiped out by the steady profit that has been pouring in since Hrithik's new film 'Krrish', in which he plays a character with superhuman powers, released last month.

The release, symbolically, coincided with a massive makeover by Gopi Krishna. It reopened with seven auditoriums under one roof with a coffee corner, comfort lounge and children's corner thrown in.

Three of Gopi Krishna's halls are screening the film apart from two other theatres in the valley, Asta Narayan and Barahi.

Poudel says it is also doing brisk business in major cities outside the capital, at theatres owned by his family in Biratnagar, Birgunj, Pokhara and Janakpur.

Hrithik's resurrection in Nepal was facilitated by his signing a contract with Surya Nepal, ITC's joint venture in the kingdom, to be the brand ambassador for John Players, men's readymade line of clothing launched by the tobacco company.

Now Surya Nepal and John Players are also cashing in on the new Hrithik boom. When 'Krrish' released, Surya Nepal and Gopi Krishna entered into a market strategy, offering a 10 percent discount on John Player items to every movie goer purchasing a 'Krrish' ticket at Gopi Krishna.

"The strategy has worked well," said S. Roy, vice-president, marketing at Surya Nepal.

"We signed up Hrithik last year and by now, the Nepali customer has identified the brand with him and accepted him wholeheartedly."