KUALA LUMPUR, June 17: Tamil film ‘Sivaji’ created history in the Indian film industry in Malaysia with its opening day takings, an official said on Sunday despite glitches and violence that marred its premiere.

S. Vel Paari, chief executive of the Pyramid Saimira Theatre Chain distributing the movie in Malaysia told the news agency it raked in takings of 560,000 ringgit ($165,000) on its opening day.

“Yes, we are surprised since there were technical glitches on Thursday and only 40 of the 53 locations were able to screen the movie,” he said.

Vel Paari said the film ‘Sivaji: The Boss’ starring Tamil movie idol Rajnikanth broke the previous record high of at least 350,000 ringgit for the film ‘Jeans’, starring Prasanth and Aishwarya Rai in 1997.

The movie was released simultaneously in India and Malaysia but was delayed by a few hours at some local cinemas and cancelled at others due to technical problems.

This angered some fans who turned violent, smashing glass displays and setting fire to one cinema. Such violence is rare in Malaysia.

About 10 per cent of Malaysia’s 26 million population are ethnic Indians, mainly Tamils, and South Indian movies are a major source of entertainment.

In central Selangor, northern Perak and Penang states police were needed to stop the opening day violence.

Vel Paari said there was overwhelming demand for tickets in all theatres in the country and advised patrons not to buy tickets from touts selling tickets for up to 15 times normal prices.—AFP