Shahrukh Khan Premieres Ra.One in Toronto

It's a superhero/supervillain battle that goes from the virtual world into the real one.

Bollywood is hoping Ra.One, with a reported budget of $30 million — the largest in Indian cinema history — will score at the international box office and bring some much-needed glitter back to a film industry in the midst of a two-year slump.

The Hindi-language film, starring Shahrukh Khan — dubbed the "King of Bollywood" after starring in more than 70 movies — opened in Toronto Wednesday with a red carpet premiere at TIFF Bell Lightbox. In an indication of the film's publicity push, Khan arrived here direct from the London premiere and on his way to the Los Angeles one.

It also opened to the general public Wednesday at 10 theatres throughout the GTA, coinciding with the Hindu festival of Diwali, and is scheduled to open in 5,000 screens worldwide and 600 in 3-D.

The film premiered in Dubai on Monday, with Khan and fellow stars Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in attendance.

The plot — which tips its hat to Hollywood movies such as The Terminator franchise — centres on Shekhar Subramanium, played by Khan, who develops a virtual reality videogame in an effort to impress his son, Prateek.

But Prateek's insistence that his father create an unbeatable virtual reality villain gives the cyberworld creature, Ra.One, some grandiose ideas and an ambition to wreak havoc in the real world. Khan also plays the role of G.One, a blue-suited virtual superhero who is Prateek's and his mother's only hope for survival.

In typical Bollywood style, the film offers four playful and dazzling dance production numbers, including one that pays homage to the Ben E. King classic, "Stand by Me."

The film, which splits its time between London and Mumbai, also features some wild, CGI-heavy action scenes, prompting a disclaimer that the stunts are choreographed by professionals and should not be mimicked by audience members.

The nonetheless family-friendly Ra.One seems geared for an adolescent audience — and it helps to be fluent in Bollywood cinema. 

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