'Raazi' grows on word of mouth in India, overseas

Mumbai:  Alia Bhatt's spy thriller "Raazi" is drawing audiences in India and abroad. The movie, which minted Rs 32.94 crore (329.4 million) in India in its opening week, registered $2.03 million on foreign shores.

In India, the film released on May 11.

According to a statement from the makers of the Meghna Gulzar directorial, "the strong word of mouth benefited the film". It registered Rs 7.53 crore on its opening day, followed by collections of Rs 11.30 crore and Rs. 14.11 crore on the subsequent days of the weekend.

Distributed internationally by Zee Studios International, "Raazi" released in 450 screens across 42 countries, read a statement to IANS. 

It released in the UAE on May 10 and all other regions on May 11. 

The film minted $2.03 million, of which the business in North America was $869000, UAE/GCC was $574000, UK/Ireland was $210000, Australia and New Zealand was $144000, the statement read.

Based on Harinder Sikka's book "Calling Sehmat", the story of the film "Raazi" revolves around a young Kashmiri girl who gets married to a Pakistani Army officer and becomes a spy to give inside information about the neighbouring country to protect her own.

"Films are purely driven by content. This film highlights emotions, situations and passions so beautifully that one believes everything the actors are going through," said Vibha Chopra, Head - Zee Studios International (Film Marketing, Distribution and Acquisition). 

"Bringing this brilliance forward to maximum people is what we wanted to do. Raazi is a real story of a girl who has been through this, Experiences are something that should be told and the genius of our cinema should be spoken about globally," Chopra added.

Produced by Junglee Pictures and Dharma Productions, the film also stars Vicky Kaushal, Rajit Kapur, Soni Razdan and Jaideep Ahlawat in pivotal roles.