Bollywood hopeful of recovery as 'Brahmastra' blazes past boycott calls

Beating back boycott calls, protests over an old statement from its star on beef and talk that Bollywood has lost its magic touch, Brahmastra Part One: Shiva" may finally have sent out the message - don't dismiss it yet.

As the lavish epic fantasy crossed the Rs 220 crore gross box office worldwide mark in its opening weekend, industry insiders were watching anxiously to see if the trend holds.

The Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer, produced by Star Studios and Dharma Productions, found itself under a cloud of controversy in the weeks preceding its release last Friday.

Ranbir's comment from several years ago that he ate beef came back to haunt and protests broke out last week when he and wife Alia went to Ujjain's Mahakal temple. This gave impetus to the #BoycottBrahmastra calls trending on social media.

But that clearly hasn't happened and Brahmastra" is set to become a mega hit like spectacle South films such as Pushpa: The Rise, "KGF: Chapter 2" and RRR.

"It is the highest ...