The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Chiru casts sensational spell Megastar wave storms the world

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Thursday, Sep 21, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Chiru casts sensational spell Megastar wave storms the world

K.V.S. Madhav

`Stalin' released; megastar's fans perform puja for its success Such was the frenzy whipped up by the film that tickets were sold in black market for Rs. 1,000 apiece in Hyderabad

TRAFFIC STOPPER!: Fans of Megastar Chiranjeevi throng a cinema theatre in Hyderabad on Wednesday on the first day of his new movie `Stalin.' - Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

HYDERABAD: Chiranjeevi's `Stalin' stormed theatres all over the State, a staggering 700 in all, besides screens in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Gulf and even Canada not to forget neighbouring Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, much to the delight of his fans.

In United States alone, where Telugus account for a sizeable chunk of non-resident Indians, the film was released in 26 cities, including the Telugu hub of New Jersey where it is being screened on four screens!

Such was the frenzy whipped up by the film that tickets were sold in the black market back for Rs. 1,000 apiece in Hyderabad. Special shows and extra screenings marked the film's release in almost all the theatres.

Stalemate ends

The film also ended the stalemate between exhibitors and the district administration in Visakhapatnam where theatres remained closed for a week now.

Theatres were re-opened to facilitate the release of the Chiranjeevi starrer following fans' uproar and an amicable agreement between the parties.

Special shows

For his fans elsewhere, there were special shows at Guntur, Gudivada, Kadapa, Kurnool and Tirupathi the preceding night itself - the Guntur show began midnight - and fans from neighbouring districts made a beeline to the bustling towns for a first dekko at the Megastar's latest offering.

At Kadapa, fans of Chiranjeevi took the publicity material of the film to the local deity Devuni Kadapa temple in a procession and performed pujas for its success. A local cable network even telecast the procession live!

Telugu film industry watchers described the film's release abroad with 27 prints as the highest for any South Indian film so far. The film was released with six prints in the Gulf region, two each in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) and United Kingdom (two theatres in London alone) and a single print in Singapore.

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