AFP/Mumbai

India’s most expensive film ever, Baahubali, is close to quickly recouping its massive $40mn-dollar budget after a record-breaking week at the box office, an industry analyst said yesterday.
The epic battle movie, which has been likened to American blockbuster 300, enjoyed the biggest opening day in the history of Indian cinema, grossing Rs500mn on July 10.  
It went on to make more than $22mn across India in its first weekend, according to Komal Nahta, the editor of Indian movie magazine Film Information, smashing the previous record of $17mn set by Happy New Year.
“It would have crossed Rs2bn ($32 million) in its first week,” Nahta said. “No film in the history of Indian cinema has made this kind of money in the opening week.”
Baahubali, released in the Telugu and Tamil languages for the so-called Tollywood and Kollywood markets, cost Rs2.5bn to make, director S S Rajamouli said in an interview last month.
It is being released in two parts and the first offering, Baahubali - The Beginning is believed to have made around Rs2bn in its opening seven days, according to industry insiders.
Baahubali, literally meaning “The One With Strong Arms” in English, also enjoyed one of the most successful opening weekends for an Indian film in the US, collecting $4.4mn, according to ‘Variety’.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response from across India and abroad,” the film’s producer Shobhu Yarlagadda said.  
The movie is laden with special effects and tells the fictional story of two brothers battling for control of an ancient Indian kingdom.
It was released in some 4,000 screens worldwide and its early success has led to producers announcing that a shortened international edition is now in the pipeline.
The concluding part of the film is due for release next year.