Is a black crow hotter than Mallika Sherawat [Images]?

The answer is yes if you are Ram Gopal Varma.

In the latest box office battle Mallika Sherawat has lost the battle to a lowly crow and it is Varma who is laughing all the way to the bank.

• Also Read: Mallika: Ms Nautanki 

Varma's film, Phoonk and Mallika's film Maan-Gaye Mughal-E-Azam released on the same day and Phoonk [Images] got a good opening at the box office whereas Mallika's film bombed at the box office.

Writing on his blog, Varma says, 'It is common knowledge that many a times star are signed by directors not because they fit the characters but because the distributors and trade pundits demand them. The tremendous opening of Phoonk all over the country proves that instead of crores charging Mallika, Paresh (Rawal) etc, you can pull audience with a 500 rupees-per-shift charging crow.'

'I am taking this example because stars are what we put because stars are what we put on the posters to attract crowds into the theatres, ant the star we put on the posters of Phoonk is the crow,' added Varma.