Abhishek Bachchan with the sword at the launch

Drona, the superhero, may have lost the box office battle but his sword is a winner at toy stores across the city.

Two swords have hit the market — the Drona Sword and the Riz sword. These are replicas from the movie Drona of the swords used by Abhishek Bachchan and his arch rival Riz Raizada, played by K.K. Menon. “The swords are a sellout in Calcutta and we are getting repeat orders. The Puja season is always a good time to launch a product in the city,” says Arun Mehra, the chief marketing officer of Zapak Digital Entertainment, the distributors of the product.

The plastic swords have sound chips embedded in them. So each time the swords clash in a duel, there is a metallic clank and a bluish spark. “The ends have been blunted so that there is no scope of injury,” clarifies Jiggy George, the executive director of Cartoon Network Enterprises (India & South Asia), the key licensing manager for Drona.

Drona’s sword carries the Sanskrit inscriptions as seen in the film, has a golden handle and is priced at Rs 399. The Riz sword handle is shaped like a dragon head in black and gold. It makes no sound and costs a little less — Rs 375.

“Most films do not lend themselves to merchandise. But because of the myth-and-magic-based storyline, Drona does,” says George of the company’s third association with Bollywood after Bhoothnath and Love Story 2050.

“Anything related to films and children’s channels sell these days,” points out Souren Chakraborty of Toy Story, a Lee Road store with a branch in Hiland Park. Both branches have run out of sword stock. “Children came asking for exactly what they wanted,” adds Gautam Bhattacharya of Striker, near Shyambazar.

At the launch in Mumbai, a beaming Bachchan wielded the Drona sword. “As a kid, I was always fascinated by Light Saber, the sword used in Star Wars, and dreamt of having something like that one day. That has come true. The sword will extend the life of Drona beyond the movie,” he said.

“If the product is good, it will sell on its own momentum,” agrees Sharma, unfazed by the film’s flop show.