Aishwarya Rai's 'Provoked' a winner at UK box office
20th Apr 2007 09.01 IST
By Agencies

The gorgeous Aishwarya Rai 's latest film Provoked has turned out to be a box office winner in the UK.

Ash, who is set to tie the knot with Abhishek Bachchan today in Mumbai, plays the pivotal role of a battered Indian housewife based in the UK in the film.




'Eros International', distributor of the film, said in a statement Thursday that ‘Provoked’, released on April 6, has crossed Fox Searchlight distributed The Namesake 's weekend box office takings in the UK.

‘The Namesake’ is directed by Mira Nair and stars Irrfan Khan and Tabu .

‘Provoked’ grossed 1,40,204 pounds with just 35 prints as against 1,25,084 pounds for ‘The Namesake’ with 59 prints in its opening weekend, thus giving a nearly double screen average of 4,005 pounds as against 2,120 pounds for ‘The Namesake’.

Time Out London, a tabloid, refers to ‘Provoked’ as a film that "packs a Punch". Daily Mirror, another tabloid, said the film was "a worthy story and this drama deals with the delicate subject matter with a sensitive touch", giving the film three stars.

‘Provoked’ is the true life story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia (played by Ash), the Indian woman who overturned the British judicial system and transformed the meaning of 'provocation' in the case of physically abused women, winning justice for women subjected to domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse.

The film, directed by Jagmohan Mundhra and based on Ahluwalia's autobiography Circle of Light, follows her lonely struggle in an abusive ten-year marriage, her retaliation through the murder of her violent husband and efforts of women activists to bring her justice.