Even as Team India struggles to improve its medal tally at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, an Indian star is sweeping the Japanese audience off their feet – although on a different stage.

Kollywood superstar Rajinikanth’s Darbar is setting Japan’s box office on fire. According to several media reports, the 2020 Tamil film, which was re-released in Japan’s theatre chain MKC Plex on July 16 as Dalbar Revenge ran full house for a week. The movie, which was supposed to be screened till July 21, has been extended till the end of July. Some reports also suggest that it may well run till August in some cities. According to media reports, the film has grossed ¥230 million so far.

“Multiple shows are being added for superstar #Rajinikanth's #Darbar in Japan. Huge demand for tickets there. Distributors are very happy with the profits. On top of all, Fans are overwhelmed to watch #Thalaivar on the big screen! #DarbarBlockbusterInJapan”, film industry tracker Manobala Vijayabalan tweeted.

Creates a rage

According to reports, the movie has created quite a rage among fans. This is likely to be screened in more cities such as Kyoto, Nagoya, and Niigata, among others.

Superstar Rajinikanth has a cult following in Japan. It all started in 1998 when Rajinikanth’s Tamil hit Muthu was released in Japan as Muthu - Oduru Maharaja (Dancing Maharaja).

The movie turned out to be a blockbuster, and was the first non-Hollywood movie to have got a big reception till that point in time. The movie reportedly ran for 23 weeks in Japan and grossed over $1.6 million at the box office.

It created such a fan following for Rajinikanth in Japan that it was followed by the release of several of his other films such as Ejaman , Badsha , and Padayappa , among others.

It is not uncommon to see the actor’s die-hard fans from Japan descending to Chennai to watch his films on big screens, along with Rajini maniacs and to get a glimpse of the actor.

Some reports even say that the Rajinikanth fan club in Tokyo has about 3,000 members. There are fan clubs in cities such as Osaka and Kobe as well.

Directed by AR Murugadoss and bankrolled by Lyca Productions, Darbar hit the Indian big screens in January 2020 during Pongal (Sankranti) and just months before the Covid-19 pandemic brought shutters down on cinemas across the country.A flop in India

Lukewarm in India

The film was released amid great hype as Rajinikanth donned the role of a police officer after 27 years. However, the movie could not keep up to audience expectations and failed to deliver at the box office in India.

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