RRR Japan: Can you guess the top 5 highest-grossing Indian movies in Japan?

The country of Japan has been known for its whole-hearted acceptance of Indian cinema and over the years, several mainstream films have excelled at the Japanese box office. Be it Rajinikanth’s Muthu, S.S. Rajamouli’s Magadheera, or Shah Rukh Khan’s 1992 film Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman (which was interestingly released in Japan in 1997), films of a varied kind have charmed the audience there and as the Ram Charan - Jr. NTR starrer RRR becomes the latest big Indian release in Japan, here is a quick look at the five of the biggest Indian commercial successes in country.

Among the top five grossers, the 2019 film Saaho takes the fifth spot with ¥132 million which is about Rs. 7.379 crores in Indian currency. Despite the mixed reviews in its home country, the Prabhas - Shraddha Kapoor film managed to charm the Japanese audiences to take the biggest opening of the time, beating Dangal in its pursuits.

Taking the number 4 spot in this list is the Sridevi starrer English Vinglish which, according to the same trade reports, has grossed ¥146 million (Rs. 8.16 crores) in Japan during its theatrical run. Directed by Gauri Shinde, English Vinglish’s thumping success fetched Sridevi the title of ‘Female Rajinikanth’ for the film's superb box office performance in Japan. Why the Rajinikanth reference? Read on...

Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots stand at number 3 on the list of highest grossers in Japan with ¥149 million or Rs. 8.329 crores collections at the box office. The comedy-drama was praised by many film critics from East Asia and was even declared the biggest Indian film in Japan at the time of its release: interestingly, 3 Idiots was the first Indian film to release in Hong Kong and even boasted of the longest showing period in Taiwan at the time, breaking the record set by James Cameron’s Avatar.

While RRR tries its hand in Japan, S.S. Rajamouli’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion has previously put on a stellar show in the country and has grossed ¥330 million (Rs. 18.45 crores) during its glorious theatrical run. What came as the second instalment of the mega Baahubali franchise, the 2017 film currently takes the number 2 spot in the list of highest-grossing Indian films in Japan.

And standing at the top of the table is the mighty Rajinikanth starrer Muthu which has grossed over ¥400 million in Japan. The 1995 film has one of the most fascinating stories of origin in Japan and as per reports, it was discovered accidentally by a Japanese film critic who, having been smitten by the film, sought to release the film in its home country with the help of distributors. Muthu would be released in Japan as Muthu Odoru Maharaja, or Muthu - The Dancing Maharaja, and have the most unprecedented of successes in Japan and the film remains the highest-grossing Indian film in the country to date.