Chennai Express breaks records

Plus: Alec Baldwin and wife welcome daughter; Pakistan cricket film stirs controversy; Kanye West unveils photo of baby; Luke Bryan tops Billboard charts.

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone in a scene from Chennai Express. Courtesy UTV Motion PIctures

Chennai Express breaks records

Shah Rukh Khan's latest film Chennai Express has made 200 crore (2 billion rupees; Dh116 million) after just two weeks, beating the record set by Aamir Khan's 2009 film Three Idiots. The action comedy, which came out for Eid, was made at a budget of 750m rupees. The film was shown on more than 3,800 screens across India and 750 screens worldwide. It is also the fastest Indian film to hit the 200-crore mark. "This shows the potential of the Indian theatrical market – with the right film, marketing and distribution, there is no limit," said Gaurav Verma, the director of India Theatrical Distribution, Disney UTV. On its first day, Chennai Express drew in a record-breaking 34 crore and went on to become the fastest 100-crore movie, breaking the record in just four days. – The National staff

Kanye West unveils photo of baby

Baby North West has made her television debut. Kanye West showed a photo on Friday of his 2-month-old daughter with Kim Kardashian on Kris Jenner's show, Kris. The family matriarch also posted an image of her granddaughter on Twitter. Kardashian then posted the photo on Instagram. Though cameras constantly follow the Kardashians, this is the first time the newest member of the family was shown to the public. The photo shows a brown-haired baby reaching toward the camera. West also discussed fatherhood and acknowledged being a new dad in the spotlight isn't easy. "I'm supposed to be this musical genius and everything," he said, "but I really can't work the car seat that well." – AP

Alec Baldwin and wife welcome daughter

Alec Baldwin's wife has given birth to a baby girl in New York. Hilaria Baldwin tweeted the news on Friday. She says that the family is overjoyed and that Carmen Gabriela "is absolutely perfect". Baldwin is already the father of a 17-year-old daughter, Ireland, from his previous marriage to Kim Basinger. On Twitter, Ireland welcomed her new sister and linked to a blog post with 10 pieces of advice for the newborn. – AP

Pakistani cricket film stirs controversy

A Pakistani film about a boy emulating the fairy tale career of the cricket star Shahid Afridi hit cinemas in Pakistan on Friday despite objections from the player over "obscene" scenes, which he fears could damage his image. The big-hitting all-rounder had given his approval to the producers of Main Houn Afridi (I Am Afridi), but last week reacted angrily to an "obscene" scene in trailers, in which the hero hugs and kisses a girl in a nightclub. He also raised objections to an item song, a performance featuring the Pakistani actress Mathira Khan. "I had given permission for the film with an aim to give kids some positive, healthy entertainment, to divert their minds towards cricket and it should not have obscene things," said Afridi, 33. – AFP

Luke Bryan tops Billboard charts

The country singer Luke Bryan's latest record stormed straight to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart this week. His fourth album Crash My Party is also the third-biggest opening for an album this year, behind Jay Z's Magna Carta ... Holy Grail and Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience. The hip-hop artist K Michelle landed at No 2 with her debut album Rebellious Soul. Katy Perry's Roar, her first single from her forthcoming album Prism, topped the Billboard Digital Songs chart and also notched No 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, which measures radio airplay, online streaming and sales. But it was unable to knock off Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines, which clocked its 11th non-consecutive week at No 1 on the chart. – Reuters

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