Cracker boxes having pictures of film actors on display at a shop in Patna City. Picture by Sachin

Patna, Oct. 25: Salman Khan, whose last three films have broken all box office records, is set to rule the city skies on the Diwali night. For, a rocket named after him is selling like hot cakes.

Salman is not alone, though. Firework packets bearing pictures of other Bollywood stars are also a huge hit. They have beaten Bihar politicians hollow in making a bang.

Ranbir Kapoor, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif have replaced Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan. The politicians, who were popular last year, have only made guest appearances this time.

While Katrina Kaif and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are working their charm on packages of sparklers and magic matchsticks, action heroes Akshay Kumar and John Abraham have found place on covers of bombs. Rockstar Ranbir Kapoor can be spotted on anar boxes. Salman Khan is ready to shoot towards the sky with rockets, like the box office figures of his latest flicks.

Ritesh Kumar, a student of KVS, Bailey Road, said: “Salman Khan is my favourite star. His last three movies (Dabangg, Bodyguard and Ready) have been hits. I don’t want to miss crackers named after him. I hope these will be as strong as Salman.”

Cracker sellers, too, are excited with the popularity of the innovative packaging that is raking in the moolah.

Sumant Kumar, a cracker seller on Boring Road, said: “People of all ages are attracted to the images on the packets. Children and youth are especially getting attracted to pictures of celebrities. Earlier, pictures of gods and goddesses were common. Actors are now the rage.”

Explaining the reason for the sparse appearance of politicians, Rajesh Kumar, a fireworks seller in Patna City said: “Last year, crackers named after political leaders like Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Nitish Kumar and Ram Vilas Paswan were hit because of the ongoing Assembly elections. This year, the politicians have taken a backseat and actors are popular.”

With Kareena Kapoor’s Ra.One set to hit the cinemas tomorrow, the expectations from seven-star crackers named after her have soared. These are priced at Rs 400 a box. Priyanka Chopra, however, is soaring head and shoulders above her peers: You would have to shell out anything between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500 to get a box of anars with her picture.

Rizwan Khan, a shopkeeper, cited two reasons for the soaring prices. First, wholesale shops of crackers remained closed for 10 days, after which shopkeepers decided to make up for the loss by hiking the prices. Second, heavy rain at Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, where crackers are manufactured, led to a rise in production cost.