'PK' becomes Bollywood's biggest success

Comedy drama "PK" is now the highest grossing Bollywood film ever, breaking records not just in India but abroad as well.

With A-list movie star Aamir Khan in the leading role as an extraterrestrial attempting to integrate into Indian society, "PK" has accumulated $65.2m of Indian box office returns since its December 19 release.

The title has also taken $9.15m to date in North America, making it the biggest Bollywood movie there too, while Australian totals stand at $1.9m so far.

One major milestone remains for "PK," which has overtaken Khan's 2013 blockbuster "Dhoom 3" in almost every other regard: the earlier hit's total worldwide tally is set at $89m, with "PK" not far behind on $86.2m.

But the picture has not been without controversy, its setup allowing director Rajkumar Hirani and co-writer Abhijat Joshi to question some of India's established social mores, according to Deadline.

Aamir Khan achieved international recognition for his role as lead actor and producer of 2002 Academy Award foreign language nominee "Lagaan," and is well known for his parts in "3 Idiots," "Rang De Basanti" and "Ghajini" in addition to "Dhoom 3" and "PK," while Hirani has received numerous accolades for national and global hits "3 Idiots" and the first two "Munna Bhai" comedies.