'Agent Vinod' collects Rs.10 crore on opening day

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Saif Ali Khan's home production "Agent Vinod" has earned Rs.10 crore on the first day, and is the actor's biggest solo opening so far.

Made at a budget of Rs.50 crore, the film has been shot in Morocco, Russia and Latvia.

"Saif Ali Khan has grown as an actor and also grown as a box-office power. The number of screens first decide the craze for the film and the first day business is an indicator of its strength at the box office," said trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

"The massive figures only go to show that Saif has a rare combination of talent and box office pull," added Adarsh.

Directed by Sriram Raghavan, the spy thriller also features Kareena Kapoor, Prem Chopra and Ram Kapoor. While it is produced under Saif's "Illuminati Films" banner, Eros International has distributed it.

Saif says it was the best time to release a film like "Agent Vinod".

"The concept should appeal to people... it's got an exciting plot... The style, the narrative - the strength of the story and its 'Tin Tin' qualities is the USP of 'Agent Vinod'. Times have changed and so have our movies. This is the right time for 'Agent Vinod'," said Saif, who feels he has challenged himself with a film like this.

"I have challenged myself physically in roles before. One such role was of Langda Tyagi in 'Omkara'. In 'Agent Vinod', I had to be fit, very fit. I had to train hard. It was a gruelling schedule to do action. It is very demanding. I have a lot of respect for action heroes because I've got to know what it takes to be one," he added.

The theatre owners are happy with the first day response to the film and hope that it will sustain in the coming weeks.

"The response to the film has been good. We have witnessed an occupancy of about 85 percent. The action and stunts of the film are quite appealing to the youngsters," Gautam Datta, of PVR Pvt Ltd told IANS.