K3G strikes it rich in United Kingdom

new delhi: at three hours, 30 minutes, they said it was too long. at rs 35 crore, they said it was too lavish for these frugal times. but kabhi khushi kabhie gham has now become the first bollywood film to reach no. 3 at the uk box office, beaten only by harry potter and the philosopher's stone and the 51st state. its first week takings in 41 screens: 473,355 pounds.trade analyst komal nahta says k3g (as it has come to be known) is turning out to be the biggest bollywood hit abroad, ironically even as it hasn't done so well outside mumbai and delhi. and though compared to harry potter's 537 screens and 2.4 million pounds, it's small change, karan johar says he's ecstatic. ''they said the overseas market was not doing well. they even said the music market wasn't doing well, yet we sold 4 million units. it goes to show that it's the product that creates the market.'' in fact, sony and johar parted ways after a ''mutual understanding'' on the overseas rights of the film. ultimately, the film's 207 prints for the overseas market were distributed to yashraj films, which says johar, is ''like coming back to the family fold''. the estimated cost of the overseas rights: 3.37 million pounds. but wasn't the film, which translates as sometimes happiness, sometimes sorrow, expected to go down well with the nri market overdosing as it does on treacly traditionalism, foreign locations, and jamewar shawls? johar doesn't think so. ''i made the film for indians everywhere. which is why it's doing well at leicester square in london, at times square in new york and in bihar. if the audience goes out feeling happy, what's the harm?'' because, he says, ''it's all about loving your audience''. wasn't the catchline of the film: it's all about loving your parents? ''that too.'' the no. 3 spot is the highest a bollywood film has been in the uk. even lagaan, which was released in 24 screens in the uk and was dubbed a crossover hit, made it to no. 10 after five weeks of its release in the uk. in its first week, it made 172,390 pounds. but last week's bollywood release in the uk, bollywood calling made only 3,000 pounds at the box office, not enough for the guardian to gush about it as it did with k3g.