Washington, Jan 17 (IANS) Mani Ratnam's "Guru" has not only received great reviews from the mainstream American press but also made $843,200 over the four-day weekend, one of the biggest opening grosses ever for Indian cinema in this country.

Comparing the normal Friday-Sunday gross, the new Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai starrer opened better than India's official entry to this year's Oscars, "Rang de Basanti", and "Krrish" with Hrithik Roshan in a superhero act, according to boxofficeguru.com.

The New York Times followed up its story Sunday hailing the film's glitzy red carpet premiere as heralding "not only the arrival of a movie, but also a growing cultural phenomenon" and followed it up with a review suggesting "'Guru' exalts India's rising influence".

The New York Post gave it three out of four stars, the highest grade it has ever bestowed on a Bollywood film, and Los Angeles Weekly called it the best Bollywood film since "Lagaan". Even Time magazine reviewed the film.

"You might think it would be difficult to fashion an entertaining account of the life of a polyester manufacturer, even a fictitious one. But the Tamil director Mani Ratnam, known for intelligent political dramas, has done so with 'Guru', an epic paean to can-do spirit and Mumbai capitalism," said Andy Webster in his review in the New York Times.

"Ratnam's experience shows in his gorgeous compositions and fluency with pacing and effects; the inevitable, though unobtrusive musical sequences display a similar command," he said in the review titled "Polyester and Power at Play for a Mogul and His India".

Richard Corliss of Time magazine said a ritzy premiere like the one in New York "would typically take place in Mumbai (Bombay) or in Ratnam's home town Chennai (Madras). But Bollywood films have eyes to be as popular in America as in India, Indonesia, the Middle East and North Africa, where they dominate cinematic culture".