The critics had panned the film and wrote it off, but the moviegoers had something else in mind. AKS beat down Awarapan and Apne at the box office by getting a bumper opening in the first 3 days.

"The film has opened to a huge response at the box office, with collections varying from 95-100 percent. It is true from East to West and from North to South," said trade analyst, Taran Adarsh.

"AKS has got a bigger opening than Shootout At Lokhandwala and in fact, in some centers AKS has an opening that is at par with the two biggest hits of last year, Dhoom 2 and Krrish," added Adarsh.

Himesh's debut film, Surroor was released on June 29. The star played himself in the film, with former child actress Hansika Motwani debuting as a heroine and Mallika Sherawat in a special appearance.

Analysts feel the film worked compared to simultaneous releases Apne and Awarapan because of the brilliant marketing strategy by Himesh, and the curiosity factor generated among moviegoers.

"Himesh's video albums were always rocking for the masses, and they always loved it. He has a kind of aura for his fans. No wonder, when he first appeared on the big screen there was a huge curiosity and people wanted to see him. The marketing of the film and the promos too appeal to audiences, and therefore it got a bumper opening," said trade analyst Vinod Mirani.

"Apne at the moment is a semi-hit in North India, and has done an average business all over India. However, Awarapan has lost badly in the race and has not picked up well at the box office," added Mirani.

Interestingly, Himesh also disproved the myth that he was a singer for only the masses -- the film's done well among the higher-income audiences as well.

"We ourselves were shocked to see the huge response for the film," said a senior manager of a New Delhi multiplex.

"The curiosity was too much and everyone wanted to see how Himesh acted, and therefore I guess the film worked for the first weekend," he added.

Said Komal Nahta, also a Bollywood trade analyst, "Every distributor will recover his money in 3 days time, and the film is doing excellent in all centers."

Nahta further tellingly concluded, "Aap Kaa Surroor has done well just like Yash Chopra or Karan Johar films do well, but with Himesh as the actor." Text: Syed Firdaus Ashraf

Also Read: Column: Why we should all pray for Himesh's film