September 14, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): In one flash stroke, Salman Khan has made the industry realize once again that if and when he really wants, he can be horrifyingly lethal. So much so that he can send terror waves in a manner which is simply unparalleled. What else can define the stupendous opening that 'Dabangg' has taken?

While it was mentioned in this very column last week that 'Dabangg' would take the best opening of the year (in line with 'Raajneeti'), anything close to '3 Idiots' was never on the cards. After all the Aamir Khan film was more inclined towards family audience and has a multiplex audience theme, a crowd that brings in maximum moolah. On the other hand 'Dabangg' had action as it's USP with none associated with the film even denying this fact.

However, the unthinkable happened on the Friday of the film's release as not just did 'Dabangg' open to some mind-blowing all around response but also recorded collections which not just surpassed 'Raajneeti' by a comfortable margin but also smashed the '3 Idiots' record. While '3 Idiots' had totalled 13 crores on its opening Friday, 'Dabangg' upped it by netting over 14 crores. This is not all as weekend business stayed on to be terrific as well. Good to excellent word of word of mouth meant that 49 crores were generated from just first three days of the film's release.

From this point on, a 100 crores final total is the least that 'Dabangg' can see for itself, hence bringing itself in the elite zone of '3 Idiots' (200 crores plus) and 'Ghajini' (115 crores plus). It now has to be seen whether 'Dabangg' would now be the second biggest earner ever or would have to contend with the third place. However, the good news for Bollywood is that 2010 has witnessed four mega hits in 'Raajneeti' (90 crores plus), 'Housefull' and 'My Name Is Khan' (70 crores plus), 'Raajneeti' (a shade under 60 crores) and now 'Dabangg' which is looking unstoppable and is all set to score a century.

-- Joginder Tuteja / Sampurn Wire