Aishwarya Rai's latest film 'Provoked' has turned out to be a box office winner in the UK.

Rai, who is set to tie the knot with fellow Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan tomorrow in Mumbai, plays the pivotal role of a battered Indian housewife based in the UK in the film.

'Eros International', distributor of the film, said in a statement Thursday that Provoked, released on April 6, has crossed Fox Searchlight distributed The Namesake's weekend box office takings in the UK.

The Namesake is directed by Mira Niar and stars Indian actors Irfan Khan and Tabu.

Provoked grossed 1,40,204 pounds with just 35 prints as against 1,25,084 pounds for Namesake with 59 prints in its opening weekend, thus giving a nearly double screen average of 4,005 pounds as against 2,120 pounds for Namesake.

Time Out London, a tabloid, refers to Provoked as a film that "packs a Punch". Daily Mirror, another tabloid, said the film was "a worthy story and this drama deals with the delicate subject matter with a sensitive touch", giving the film three stars.

Provoked is the true life story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia (played by Aishwarya Rai), the Indian woman who overturned the British judicial system and transformed the meaning of 'provocation' in the case of physically abused women, winning justice for women subjected to domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse.

The film, directed by Jagmohan Mundhra and based on Ahluwalia's autobiography Circle of Light, follows her lonely struggle in an abusive ten-year marriage, her retaliation through the murder of her violent husband and efforts of women activists to bring her justice.