'Dhoom: 3' becomes highest grossing film in Nepal

Bollywood hit 'Dhoom: 3' has created history in Nepal by becoming the first film to gross Rs 6 crore at the box office.

The movie - starring Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Abhishek Bachchan - earned the amount in just two weeks.

The film has been screened without competition at multiplexes across Nepal, including the Kathmandu Valley.

According to sources close to the film's distributor, 'Dhoom: 3' is the first film to earn Rs 6 crore in Nepal.

A Nepali film is considered a hit if it earns around Rs 20 lakhs at the box office. By that standard, 'Dhoom: 3' has earned the equivalent of 30 hit Nepali films.

Last year, around 60 foreign films released in three multiplexes in Kathmandu earned over Rs 20 crore.

"It is natural that hit artists like Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Katrina Kaif sell well in the Nepalese market", said Tirtha Thapa, a noted film director.

"The brand name of the Indian film industry sells here, rather than the story," he said. "The artist, acting and quality of a picture make it successful in the eye of viewers."

Indian films dominate Nepal's movie halls. It is only in remote villages where Nepali films have a high demand, Thapa said.

In major cities like Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara and Bhairahwa, Hindi films have an 80 per cent share of the market, according to him.

The quality of Nepali films is deteriorating though the number of movies produced every year has touched 120, Thapa said.

A decade ago, Nepali films used to earn Rs 50 lakhs to 60 lakhs but now they hardly make Rs 15 lakhs to 20 lakhs, he added.