BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has done it again with Secret Superstar. The movie - his fourth to be released in China since 2011 - has struck gold once more.

It has earned more in China within days of its release than it did throughout its run in India.

Khan's latest film topped China's box-office charts for the first five days since it opened on Jan 19, raking in around US$39 million (S$51 million).

Reviewers have given high scores on popular movie websites, such as 8 points out of 10 on Douban and 9.5 on box-office tracker Maoyan.

Secret Superstar centres on a 14-year-old girl who dreams to be a singer. She has the support of her mother but her father disapproves.

Khan plays a musician who helps the girl fulfil her wish.

Since last week, director Advait Chandan and teenage actress Zaira Wasim have toured cities on the mainland to promote the movie, with Khan getting involved this week.

Khan, 52, used to be called "India's Andy Lau", in a reference to the iconic Hong Kong film star. But given his familiarity now with Chinese cinema-goers, he has earned his own "Uncle Aamir" moniker.

Two years later than its Indian premiere in 2009, his 3 Idiots movie was released in China only in 2011. But for both PK, which opened in China in 2015, and Dangal last year, the delays were less than six months.

This time, Chinese fans waited only three months to see Secret Superstar.

Chandan said he had always wished to make a film for his mother, his own "secret superstar" who encouraged him to pursue his cinematic dreams.