Shah Rukh's Jawan takes control of the box-office

JAWAN, the much-hyped Shah Rukh Khan-Atlee film, hit screens on Thursday.

- JAYA BHUVANESHWARI B

This is the first time SRK is working with the Tamil director known for films like Theri, Mersal, and Bigil, and for this reason, theatre owners in Tamil Nadu are gung-ho about its prospects. "People are receiving this Hindi film with as much love as they would show a Tamil film," says Nikilesh Surya, owner of Rohini Theatre, Chennai, who shares that the predominantly Tamil cast and crew help too.

"This is by far the biggest release for a Bollywood film in Kerala and Tamil Nadu," claims Krishnamoorthy, executive producer of Sree Gokulam Movies, who are foraying into the Tamil film industry by distributing Jawan. Together in both states, the Hindi and Tamil versions have been released in a total of 1,001 screens (718 centres). This includes around 450 centres in Tamil Nadu and 270 centres in Kerala.

While the film is being released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu in Tamil Nadu, it's believed that the Tamil version will contribute the most business.