Download posters of Maharathi starring Paresh Rawal, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Boman Irani, Tara Sharma, Vivek Shauq.

The Indian Films-Studio 18 released Singh Is Kinng took home the box-office gold internationally, emerging as the biggest Bollywood title of 2008 and the numero uno in the career of its protagonist and superstar Akshay Kumar. (Interestingly, Kumar’s all-time No.2 performer, Welcome, was also released by Studio 18 in December 2007.)

In addition to the key overseas markets, US/Canada, UK and UAE, Singh Is Kinng saw a wide day-and-date release by Studio 18 in Trinidad & Tobago, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Mauritius, Fiji, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, East Africa, West Africa, Australia and New Zealand, among other countries.

Distributed on 275 prints in these markets, Singh Is Kinng mopped up more than INR 12 cr (approx. US$ 3 million) just in its opening weekend.

In North America, on 112 prints (including 28 in Canada - the widest release for a Bollywood film ever), Singh… popped open to a thunderous response ringing up an estimated $1.2 million.

In the UK & Ireland, on 70 prints, it grossed £62,533 on its previews and notched a solid £430,748 over the weekend, taking its cum. to a gigantic £493,281 and placing it at No.7 in the UK Top 10 chart. In terms of per theatre average for the weekend, Singh Is Kinng devoured the prevailing Hollywood blockbusters in the UK, much the same as the US, where it was ranked at No.15.

In the Middle East, on 33 prints, the gross was in excess of 2.02 million AED.

Singh Is Kinng, produced by Vipul Shah’s Blockbuster Movies, features the hit duo, Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, ably supported by Neha Dhupia, Om Puri, Kirron Kher, Sonu Sood, Javed Jaffrey and others. It features a much-hyped collaboration on the title track with legendary rapper, Snoop Doggy Dogg.

After the super success of Jab We Met, Welcome & now Singh Is Kinng, Indian Films - Studio 18 has an impressive slate of international releases in 2008, which include Sanjay Gadhvi’s Kidnap, starring Sanjay Dutt and Imraan Khan, Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal Returns featuring Ajay Devgan, Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade, Celina Jaitly and Tusshar Kapoor, and Anil Kapoor Productions’ Shortkut, toplining Akshaye Khanna, Amrita Rao and Arshad Warsi.

Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze who essayed the role of Max Lowe in City of Joy (1992, Best Picture of the year), in the best performance of his life, has sadly been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is only fifty-five years old and is currently undergoing chemotherapy and resting at his ranch in New Mexico.

City of Joy, an inspirational masterpiece, is about a surgeon from the US who loses one of his patients during an operation, flees his problems, or so he thinks, and travels to India. Disillusioned and determined to stay away from the medical field altogether, he runs into British nurse Pauline Collins (Joan Bethel) who runs a free clinic in the most dangerous neighborhood of Calcutta. With much determination, she finally ropes Max into helping her. When the local don brutally threatens the clinic and the livelihood of its neighbors, Max teaches them, in particular an illiterate Indian farmer Hazari Pal (Om Puri) the strength of their unity in overcoming their impoverished situation.

Shabana Azmi plays Hazari’s wife Kamla. Ayesha Dharkar plays their daughter Amrita. A beautiful cinematic piece of art, if you haven’t seen it, you should. If you have, watch it again.

Swayze is trying to complete three films, Powder Blue, Fired Up and The Beast at this time. We wish Patrick and his wife Lisa all the best during this trialsome period in their lives.