My Name is Khan has become Bollywood's most successful box office opener in the UK.
The movie was released in a storm of controversy after a row between its star - Shah Rukh Khan - and Shiv Sena, a hardline Hindu party in India.
But it has already grossed more than £936,000 since hitting screens and entered the UK Box Office charts at number six.
The film also took $2.3m (£1.2m) in the US over the four-day holiday weekend.
Khan had angered Shiv Sena by saying Pakistani players should be included in the Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket competition, which starts next month.
 | UK TOP 10 1. Valentine's Day 2. Avatar 3. The Wolfman 4. The Princess And The Frog 5. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief 6. My Name Is Khan 7. Invictus 8. A Single Man 9. Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel 10. Astro Boy Source: Screen International |
Shiv Sena, an organisation which regards itself as a defender of what it sees as traditional Hindu moral values, tried to disrupt the film's release and consequently it opened amid tight security in Mumbai.
Khan's wife, Gauri, who co-produced the movie, said: "People have liked the movie which we're really happy to see and it's not because of the controversy."
My Name is Khan is a rare Indian film to get the backing of Hollywood distributors, 20th Century Fox.
In the film, Khan plays a Muslim with Asperger's syndrome whose life changes after the 11 September attacks in the US.
He stars opposite Kajol, who plays a single Hindu mother who falls in love with Khan.
The film was the fourth highest new entry in the UK behind Valentine's Day, The Wolfman and Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.
Valentine's Day went straight in at number one as it grossed £3.7m and, although it averaged £8,640 across 432 sites, My Name is Khan averaged £10,291 across 91 sites.
The previous record for a Bollywood film in its opening period in the UK was held by Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna which grossed nearly £750,000, and also starred Shah Rukh.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8518194.stm
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