Khan wars: 3 Idiots puts Aamir in number one spot

Mumbai: Rs 240 crore – yes, that's what Aamir Khan's new film 3 Idiots has made worldwide at the box office and it's yet to complete its second week.

The Vidhu Vinod Chopra production has made a record as the highest grosser in the history of Indian cinema, beating the last number one Ghajini featuring Aamir again.

Aamir Khan is now the undisputed king at the box office, which raises the stakes for both Shah Rukh and Salman Khan who have their own ambitious ventures My Name Is Khan and Veer hitting screens soon.

"As far as Salman’s Veer is concerned there is pressure that it should work because the budget was very high. However, the pressure is more on SRK’s My Name Is Khan after Aamir’s successful run at the box office," trade analyst Amod Mehra said.

Coming up first is Salman's period drama Veer directed by Anil Sharma and shot with a budget of Rs 50 crore. It’s said that Salman has a personal interest in the film since the story is written by the actor himself. Also, though Salman delivered one big hit Wanted last year, he also has to live down 2 duds Main Aur Mrs Khanna and London Dreams.

But more than Salman it will be Shah Rukh who has to match up to Aamir's success, and not just for personal reasons.

"All three of us are magicians. Wait and see when we come together," SRK in his usual witty self said.

My Name is Khan jointly produced by SRK and Karan Johar is a comeback by the hit SRK-Kajol and Karan Johar combination. The film has reportedly been sold to Fox Star Studios for a record Rs 100 crore.

The film which releases worldwide on February 12 has a lot of expectations to live up to especially since Shah Rukh's last venture Billu Badshah didn't work at the box office.

And believe it or not, SRK who was once wary of social networking sites has just started his Twitter account. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.