Indian movie is surprise hit in China, Latest Movies News - The New Paper
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Indian movie is surprise hit in China

A Bollywood film based on the true story of an amateur wrestler's struggle to challenge gender stereotypes and turn his daughters into world-class fighters has become an unlikely hit in China, the country with the most serious sex imbalance in the world.

The critically acclaimed Dangal (right), starring Aamir Khan, is running to packed houses in China, and has quickly become the top non-Hollywood foreign film in the country.

It has earned more than US$125 million (S$173 million) since its May 5 release.

Dangal is also among India's biggest box-office successes and has sparked a conversation on gender bias in the country.

The northern state of Haryana, where the film is set, has among the worst sex ratios in the country and also highest incidences of violence against women.

The movie highlights the realities of the fight for gender equality in India which, like China, has a preference for sons and where women are pressured to marry young.

It has sparked online debates about gender in China as well, particularly around the importance of filial piety, another trait that India and China have in common.

- REUTERS

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