@Meetu : there is a humongous difference between "their is a slightly tainted image too" and somebody who has been declared guilty as charged for first degree manslaughter. Salman Khan has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. I couldn't imagine a Hollywood star proven guilty by law moving scot free. And the more we encourage a legally proven criminal the more the producers will bet money on him. This ridiculous sympathy circle must stop and somebody must take the first step to draw a line. The hundreds or thousands who contributed to the film have received their wages. The success or failure of the film would have a negligible impact on their earnings and their future prospects. So your heart doesn't have to win against your mind based on some illogical and ill placed sympathy.

As regards the movie, seems to be on the lines of Jai Ho and Kick. Meaning imposing the social message of Being Human in the most contrived manner on the paying audience. All this to cultivate a "Mr. Nice Guy" image so that when in a few day's time the verdict comes again against him then he could bank on this Mr. Nice Guy image to batter the judicial system. And all this at the expense of the paying audience!!!

I've been a Salman fan all these years and perhaps might continue to be one in future too. But frankly, as of now i have absolutely no intent, anticipation or motivation to watch any of his films, no matter how big a blockbuster they go on to become!

"Say, Amitabh Bachchan or Anurag Kashyap"~ no matter how many Bombay Velvets and No Smoking's this mediocre film-maker makes, the critics, pseudo intellectuals & fangirls/ladies will never miss an opportunity to project him as a legend! Ditto for pretty boy Kapoor. Unbelievable!

@Meetu: no issues with someone wanting to watch or not watch the film. It's a personal choice. Don't we go to watch Sanju baba's films? And we would even go to watch Sanju baba's biography despite the high probability of the film makers portraying him as an innocent victim of Mumbai bomb blasts. So watching a film is a personal choice and no issue either way. But the argument used to justify watching it is surely shaky.

@Fan : The nature of Dutt's crime is not completely defined and neither did he have a direct hand in taking innocent lives. Yes his act was heinous no doubt, but in my opinion it was more of a desperate guy who panicked under the threat and influence of gangsters. But most importantly, unlike Salman, Sanjay has served his complete sentence!

"It is respect for film-makers. By boycotting a film based on the star, aren't I supporting the star-system disregarding the other people who worked on the film. Sure, they are paid, but is the salary everything when films are concerned? They want their work recognised too, right? " ~ oh come off it! You really wanna be talking of "recognition of a film-makers work" in a Salman Khan starrer? I'm sure you ain't naive enough to make such statements after watching movies like Bodyguard and ETT (by the same film-maker). You wanna judge Kabir Khan's "work" then u may as well watch Kabul Express/New York or wait for Phantom to release than trying to judge him in a Salman Khan starrer.

@Anuj : Dutt is an accessory to a serious crime. When bombs are blasting in Mumbai a person with questionable background comes to his house and asks him to hide arms that are typically associated with a terrorist who is butchering innocent middle class people and he is naive enough to store those weapons. I can imagine that he was between the fire and frying pan, couldn't say Yes and couldn't say No. But still the situation was so heinous that he should have shown courage to get out of it.

@Meetu : when we boycott a company's products on principles, then too we are rejecting the efforts of all the employees. At that time, because there is no celebrity or no single face associated with the banned products we rarely have such pangs. Then why the injustice when it comes to films? And as says Anuj, if the film is a success then 100% of the credit will be to Salman Khan, let's not have any doubts on that. No other staff would be able to stake claim for recognition.

What @Fan said, @Meetu - "slightly tainted" is one thing, "Depraved Indifference to Human Life" (as we call it in the US) is quite another. If the worst thing Salman Khan had done was give money to a political movement with ties to violent actions, then I'd say "Ehh", because even the best-intentioned outfits have violent offshoots - but he did a lot more than that, didn't he? He's spent over a decade of his life trying to get out of paying for having run over and killed several people....

We're kind of having this problem in the US, too - one of our longest-running popular comics/comedy actors, Bill Cosby, stands accused of drugging and raping a number of women over the years. The more we find out, the clearer it becomes that he did just what those women say he did - which really hurts, because when he was young Cosby was one of my wife's and I's favorite comedians (we have some of his early albums). We can't even listen to them any more, because now it's tainted with knowing the man is, and was even then, a rapist.

Boycotting Salman's movies because of his court case is a personal choice. No need to fight over here. Salman's alleged crime is too small compared to UP/Bihar politicians'. They have been committing crimes which affect a much larger population. But they are still ruling those states without any boycott.
Salman, to me, has done a lot more then he could have been able to do had he been in jail all these years. But, that is my opinion.
Coming to this movie, I would like to watch it only for Kashmir. Last December, I was there. It is the most beautiful place I have ever visited with the most welcoming and helping people. And I was there during election time, when my well wishers were very skeptical about the situation there. But I can tell you that Kashmir has the most beautiful people in terms of external or internal beauty. There was one instance when I was crossing a deserted bridge in Pahalgam at night in total darkness, with my friend. Suddenly, a car which was parked at the junction, turned on its head lights, lighting our way, just to allow the two of us to pass through till the end. It was a gesture which will always remain in my heart.
So, I may watch the movie just for Kashmir.

@Meeta : Everyone has an opinion and anyone can say or believe whatever they want. Of course Salman has a lot more fan following and well wishers both within and outside the industry than Sanjay and hence there would be a lot more people jumping to defend him at the drop of a hat (as you'd see with the blockbuster performance of Bajranji despite him being convicted). But imo, Sanjay still remains a victim of circumstances than anything else. As for your last statement directed to me, I'm sure I'd never be running over people sleeping on a pavement when i'm drunk but i'm not too sure how i'd react if someone puts a gun on my head and forces me to hide weapons of mass destruction in my own backyard.

Btw, how & why is it that wogma has not reviewed Bahubali?

@Meeta : u guys aren't reviewing Bahubali?

Yeah. It really amazes me. How come Tamil/Telugu movies are able to generate so much profit with mostly regional viewership, while comparing with Bollywood movies, which have viewers pan India. Anyways, I am not a fan of Rajamouli. So, will skip on Bahubali.
@Meetu: Please have a preview thread for Drishyam soon. Can't wait for one of the best movies of 2014(or 13?) to be released in Hindi. It may really turn out to be the best movie of 2015 and win National award. But performances will need to be of the highest grade, other National award will not come, as it is not an original work.

@Kapil : Bahubali cannot be described as a "regional film". Yes its been made in Telugu but the dubbed Hindi version too is doing huge business. The movie has been released in over 4000 screens worldwide which is at par with the likes of Dhoom 3 and PK. The telugu and tamil versions have a huge audience in South India, the Hindi version is phenomenal in Maharashtra and North India while the South Indian NRI diaspora is giving it a thumbs up. Its something similar to what happened to Endhiran in 2010. Its the second time in the last 5 years that a non Hindi movie would break into the top 5 all time worldwide highest grossing Indian films.

Salman Khan plays the good-naturedness believably. In fact, the one thing that the film tries to push with all its might is how good Salman Khan is.

And that is why this Nice Ripe Wheel of Pluralistic Cheese got made! Salman the Smug's tap-dancing, hoping to sway the Court of Public Opinion, and maybe push the judge for leniency....

I have to say that we've been following this a bit from America - and Tammy and I have both been going, "WTF is this taking so long?" I would be the last American to hold up my country as any kind of model of justice, particularly recently - but neither of us can think of a time when an American actor, accused of killing people, didn't either have to stand trial...or were released because there wasn't enough evidence to charge them. This case sounds pretty cut&dried to me - is there something I'm missing that is why it took over a decade to try him?

Sorry - I said "Salman Khan" to Tammy while writing this, and she launched into a lengthy screed about "entitled drunken killer scum thinking their privilege lets them get away with murder". I suppose it's no surprise her favorite Indian actresses are Rani Mukerji and Priyanka Chopra, is it...?

@Meetu - I sympathize with your feelings, totally. It's a rough one - as you can see from what American celebrities and movie fans have been saying about both Bill Cosby and the director Roman Polanski over here.

Thankfully I'm just a fan and not a critic - and we can, and did, choose to not watch any movies starring Salman Khan after we found out. Not that we were all that eager to beforehand, given his attempts to be "charming" often read as sleazy to us Americans! I honestly don't know if I'd be any less conflicted than you are if somebody hired me to review Bill Cosby's last concert....

As for your concern about the "other people" working on the movie, director and crew as well as co-stars - it's not fair to paint them with the same brush the star is, but Salman Khan is undeniably The Star of this movie. I'm not sure why Kareena Kapoor Khan, say, would choose to co-star with him in this (Are they friends off-camera? Was she contractually obligated to star in this movie before Salman Khan was attached to it?), but it sounds like she's barely a presence in the movie anyway, so just let it slide....

@Tim:How many times are u going to re-iterate the fact that mass commercial entertainers made in India would not find favour among "Americans". Frankly, you guys need to get out of this misconception that everything in this world relies on your consent,acceptance and judgement. Indian movies (barring a few ridiculous one's like MNIK and KANK) are not made for Americans or even the NRI diaspora. They are made for the masses living in this country and most of them serve their purpose well. Nobody's asking you guys to watch them. Just like we guys here don't give a damn about most of the rubbish Hollywood manufactures year after year in the name of entertainment.

Direction: 2.5
Story: 3
Lead Actors: 3
Character Artists: 2.5

Dialogues: 2
Screenplay: 2
Music Director: 1
Lyrics: 0.5

The way this movie is trending, it might just go on to overhaul PK as well. 36 cr on a Saturday. Unbelievable! Just goes on to prove the fact that the audiences continue to adore Mr. Salman Khan in spite of all that's happened over the last few months. Strange are the ways f this world.

The double B mania has taken the nation by storm. We would have to go over 3 decades in the past in order to know when was the last time that 2 certified mega blockbusters ran simultaneously at the theaters. Baahubali and Bhaijaan are together scripting box office history right now. History of the kind that's once in a lifetime. Yes Lagaan+Gadar was huge but unfortunately, Lagaan's below par performance at the mass dominated sectors ensured that movie couldn't rise beyond the level of an ordinary hit. Ditto for Dil+Ghayal. Bahubali+Bhaijaan is historic. In movie ways than one!

How many times are u going to re-iterate the fact that mass commercial entertainers made in India would not find favour among "Americans".

@Anuj, I'm unclear - are you saying Indian movies would find favor in America among more than just a cult audience...or that they would not, and we shouldn't bother ourselves over it? If the former, I believe you're right that they would - America and Canada have growing Southern Asian populations who grew up watching and loving Indian entertainers, and a large enough population of (mostly) young people intrigued by a film industry that runs parallel to our own, and does things just differently enough to be novel and interesting.

If the latter - sorry, pal, that's globalization for you, and like it or not Eros, Yash Raj, UTV and Tips are already making inroads in the American/Canadian market, and will very likely make more as they see there's an actual audience here. And who can blame them, given you've got the biggest film industry in the world right now, and can make a dozen blockbusters for the cost of one of ours?

A part of me hopes that you're right, and Indian films will remain Indian in style and substance, keeping out the casually curious Americans and Canadians - but I fear the day will come, soon, when we will see our first completely shot-in-English Bollywood hit with an Indian star sharing the billing with an American one. (If I get a vote, I'd like to see Kajol turning her killer eyes on Robert Downey, Jr. in a twisty thriller - or Amitabh Bachchan and Helen Mirren as aging superspies and former lovers in an explosive adventure.)

"like it or not Eros, Yash Raj, UTV and Tips are already making inroads in the American/Canadian market, and will very likely make more as they see there's an actual audience here." ~ and yet the only movies marketed and paraded by the same Eros and Yash Raj films are usually the one's which portray lives of rich urban middle class NRI's which have no connect with the Indian masses. No wonder its commercial duds like MNIK & KANK which find favour among the American/Canadian NRI's while blockbusters such as Dabangg and Ghajini do not. Because the bottomline is, as hard as these corporate czars try to market their movies to the NRI diaspora, its the local audience that decides the fate of a movie or an actor. And that's the same reason why mass superstars like Salman Khan will always remain the biggest in this nation irrespective of what NRI's, armchair critics and self proclaimed cinematic intellects have to say!

Want Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Dilwale to beat PK's records, when will [comment deleted for personal attack]

After you serve your sentence for spamming the online world with your [comment deleted for personal attack] and pungent comments!

Hypocrisy of the Indian media, armchair critics, freelance bloggers and first degree pseudo intellectual idiots : PK,3Idiots,RDB,Lagaan etc are "Aamir Khan" films but Baby is a "Neeraj Pandey" film while Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a "Kabir Khan" film. Of course praising "mass" entertainers like Salman and Akshay is below their dignity (which basically, stinks of a colonial hangover mixed with Hollywood fanatism).

This was bound to happen. A Salman fanatic once told me that if an actor can churn mega blockbusters out of nonsense and bogus movies like bodyguard and ek tha tiger, imagine what he would do if he actually gets a good script! Here it is. Bajrangi Bhaijaan proves why despite his turmoil and questionable personal life, Salman was,is and will remain the most popular actor on Indian celluloid since the life & times of Amitabh Bachchan. Yes Aamir and Srk are superstars and yes they've broken records too. But the difference between a Salman & Aamir/Srk is that an Aamir/Srk can never give a blockbuster with a Bodyguard but a Salman can. In all likelihood, Bajrangi Bhaijaan would do similar business to PK. Now imagine if Salman gets to work with Rajkumar Hirani two times over!

@Meeta : Neither are RDB,3Idiots or PK "star" films. And yet Mr. Aamir has been elevated to an unprecedented pedestal of being a "thinking man's actor" when the fact is, that the real superstars behind any fabulous movie are its script & screenplay writers and of course the director. With a good director like Shoojit Sircar, even a John Abraham can deliver a Madras Cafe. The only difference between Aamir & Salman is that Salman has mostly chosen to do starry films (because he can afford to due to his popularity) while Aamir has chosen theme based movies (perhaps because he's never been as popular as Salman). But whenever Salman has chosen a content film, the results have been stuff of legend. Be it MPK,HAHK,HDDCS and now this!

The word of mouth is very similar to what it was for PK and so are the collections. It would be a touch and go scenario as to whether it can overhaul PK's tally of 330 cr or fall short by a whisker. In all probability though, BB will indeed cross 300 cr and be declared a certified All Time Hit. Although I still believe that in the modern multiplex era, 3 Idiots continues to remain the biggest blockbuster over the last decade with the best word of mouth among the 3. Either ways, this just goes on to show the kind of box office dominance Salman and Aamir have had over the last half a dozen years (of course Salman owned the early 90's too). SRK for all his global brand building has never been able to replicate the numbers generated by Salman and Aamir over the last 8 years due to his poor selection of films and failure to re-invent himself (unlike AK), Hrithik on the other hand had a fabulous first 6 years of stardom but his strange obsession with style & 'Hollywood'ised' movies of late has dented his popularity among the masses to an extent (a clear case of hitting peak popularity and stagnating thereafter). Akshay has never been in the same league as these 4 anyway, although he has done well after being completely written off during the late 90's.

Meetu when you are removing my comment, just take off the full comment, no partial deleting pls. By the way we know the King of deleted comments.

Despite the so called regressive style of Southern cinema it gets good scores from their critics. If Salman Khan does dhoom 4 and claims the movie cost 5cr it will get unanimous praise, critics of Hindi films getting jealous of success of high cost films.

This film may also be called Bangbangi Bangjaan it is just doing excellent business, came out 9th in the US/Canada with $2.62 (higher than lifetime of Ra.One and RNBDJ, almost near Talaash.
Hindi films listed in US Top !) weekends by Boxooficemojo
Kites, Housefull 2, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Yeh Jawaani Hai deewani, Dhoom #3, Bhajrangi Bhaijaan.

Of course we're gonna have deleted comments when we have [comment partially deleted for personal attack] trolling their keyboards off. No amount of insult or abuse is sufficient for them.

Bajrangi Bhaijaan adds to the long list of gems in the year 2015. Baby/Badlapur/NH10/Piku/Tanu Weds Manu 2/Bahubali and now Bajrangi. 2015 has already delivered better movies than both 2013 & 14 put together.

Thumbs up team Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Wogma's best commenter is here with geometric analysis of BB's box office trend using the first week figures and a factor of 0.4, here is the breakdown.
1 - 184.6
2 - 73.8
3 - 29.5
4 - 11.8
5 - 4.7
6 - 1.9
7 - 0.8
8 - 0.3
9 - 0.1
Total - 305.3cr
This is the first time i am using a geometric regression factor to analyze box office, will do it with Prem Ratan Dhan Payo and Dilwale.

@Anuj: don't know why you are hung up on Baby? It's an alright film, but nothing to thrill or no heart-thumping moments other than standard patriotic dialogues. As regards Badlapur, it slumped without any roar - an okay film if you watch it, but nothing great to regret if you miss it. Tanu Weds Manu Returns, even though entertaining, will certainly not linger for years in the memory. Like any movie that comes, shines during its 2 weeks of reign, and is then forgotten by the various releases that come out. In fact none of the movies (yet to watch Bahubaali, BB) that seem to give you the kicks are that great to be remembered for a long time afterwards. They are better than the average fare dished out this year or in 2013 or 2012 or ... But that is it. They are not masterpiece nostalgic stuff like Lage Rahe or Taare Zameen Par or Parineeti that you would have a massive re-watch value.

BTW: not yet watched Piku, sob sob.

BTW BTW: Read somewhere that Bajrangi Bhaijaan was penned and proposed to Roshan jr, to be a home production. However the deal did not go through as Roshan sr does not do joint productions, and the writer was adamant on doing a joint production. Wonder how would the movie have trended with Roshan jr as Bajrangi.

yet the only movies marketed and paraded by the same Eros and Yash Raj films are usually the one's which portray lives of rich urban middle class NRI's which have no connect with the Indian masses. No wonder its commercial duds like MNIK & KANK which find favour among the American/Canadian NRI's while blockbusters such as Dabangg and Ghajini do not.

@Anuj, as far as I know Dabangg and Ghajini did fine among NRI/curious pardesi audiences - and Rowdy Rathore, which is as big a mass crowdpleaser as you can get, was successful outside of India too.

As for your anger over movies about "rich urban middle class NRI's which have no connect with the Indian masses" - that may be a case of NRI audiences self-selecting their own experiences, or those they aspire to. Most of the Southern Asian population of the US, American television's clichés about Sikh cabdrivers aside, are largely upwardly mobile professional class - like my primary doctor or my wife's neurologist, both of whom are Punjabi; or the fact that the current CEOs of Microsoft and Google are desi (Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai), as are a significant percentage of their engineers and scientists.

The small city in Upstate NY I live in has a significant Southern Asian minority (about five percent, I think the last census said), many of whom are medical professionals of one type or another, or run businesses that cater to them. It's large enough that we have six Indian restaurants for a metroplex of 145,00 all told (we only have three "Middle Eastern" restaurants, and one of them's a fast food joint near the college!), every supermarket has an "Indian Foods" aisle, and local electronics superstores carry a "Bollywood" DVD section.

There are a lot of NRIs in America, and they have money to spend - why wouldn't your studios cater to them as well?