Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior is expected to open at Rs 10-14 crore whereas Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak may collect Rs 5-7 crore on day one. Rajinikanth’s Darbar may be a game-changer in South.
Ajay Devgn’s Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior is expected to take over the bigger chunk of the business as it releases this Friday alongside Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak. However, Rajinikanth’s Darbar may dominate both the films in south.
Film trade analyst Girish Johar expects Chaapaak to open at over Rs 5 crore and Tanhaji to open at over Rs 10 crore whereas film exhibitor Akshay Rathi expects Chapaak and Tanhaji to earn around Rs 7 crore and Rs 14 crore on the first day of release, respectively.
Talking about the clash, Girish told Hindustan Times, “Tanhaji is a commercial entertainer which is much bigger in budget and star cast whereas Chhapaak is realistic social drama. Tanhaji has a wider release with around 3500 plus screens whereas Chhapaak has around 1500-2000 screens. But its a non-holiday release and looking at the disturbed environment in the country right now, they are good numbers at the end of the day.”
Akshay nods in agreement and adds, “Chhapaak can do better in some of the multiplexes and in urban centres. Tanhaji is a mass entertainer and has a the pan India appeal, which can be an advantage over Chhapaak. Both the films cater to a different kind of audiences and both can co-exist fabulously.”
Deepika’s recent visit to the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, two days after it witnessed violence on the campus led to trends such as #bycottdeepika and #Boycottchhapaak on Twitter. However, trade believes that it will have negligible effect, if any, on Chhapaak’s box office status.
Akshay says, “If the trends on Twitter actually have an impact at the ground level, then a lot of people would watch Chhapaak because they agree with what Deepika did, and many may not watch it as they don’t agree with what she did. Deepika is an individual and has rights in a democracy. It’s not right to call for any kind of boycott as it is unfair on the studio which has invested its money in making the film. Although Deepika is a producer but it’s the studio which has invested a bigger chunk of money and has not taken any stand. The boycott will not just affect Deepika but also the financers, distributors, the exhibitors, the vendors and many others. Its unfair to them.”
Girish is confident the makers of Chhapaak have nothing to worry about and said, “Twitter is an indicator but not a major influencer. Something similar had happened with Deepika’s last film, Padmaavat. Those who want to watch the film will watch it after all. It wasn’t affected in the long run. If Chhapaak appears to be a good film, it will definitely perform well.”
Rajinikanth’s Darbar
Rajinikanth’s much-anticipated Tamil action thriller, Darbar is expected to dominate the South box office. Akshay says, “Between the three, I see Darbar doing the biggest numbers pan India. Out of Tamil Nadu alone, it will collect more than Chhapaak or Tanhaji. Kerala and parts of Karnataka can also be taken over by Darbar.”
According to its makers Lyca Productions, the film will release in over 7000 screens worldwide and will be the biggest release for the 69-year-old superstar.
Impact of new releases on Good Newwz
Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor’s Good Newwz has collected Rs 172.54 crore in 12 days. But Girish believes the film will still hang in there for another two-three weeks. “There is no other major release till Republic Day. It will continue to be shown in multiplexes. As an exhibitor, a multiplex will have a colourful bouquet with an action entertainer (Tanhaji), social drama (Chhapaak) and a comedy film (Good Newwz),” he said.
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