You could say the film didn’t exactly fly off the shelves on day 1. It put up figures of 76 lakh to a crore in India net, which is well behind what you’d see from an opening like Emergency. We’re also seeing some patience being tested by the fans.
Then there are the gross estimates, with some putting the total for India at Rs 1.19 crore. If you look at the Hindi 2D shows, occupancy was all over the map: 3.77 per cent in the morning, 12 in the afternoon, 10.54 in the evening. A fairly uneven Friday that never quite found its stride.
Day 1 takeaways and the missed benchmark
If you hold it to Kangana’s own box-office standards, it’s a letdown. You have Emergency (2025) coming in at 2.50 crore, or even Tejas (2023) at 1.25. And when you put it side by side with Major (2022), another 26/11 film that made 7 crore on debut, this first day seems quiet.
Here is what the day 1 numbers tell us:
– Net as per reports: 76 lakh to Rs 1 crore
– Total India gross: Rs 1.19 crore
– 2,181 shows in the mix
– Occupancy for the day: 9.63 to 11 %
Crowded Friday and patchy occupancy
It was a full house of a Friday with nine releases to choose from – you had Main Vaapas Aaunga, Governor, Haunted 3D and the rest. In a weekend where content is king, the film will have to make its case through strong word-of-mouth.
NCR put on the most with 281 shows, then you have Mumbai at 167 and Ahmedabad with 143. The numbers in the metros don’t show much of a push: 7 per cent in NCR, 11.3 in Mumbai, 4.7 in Ahmedabad. It was a mixed bag.
What the film offers on screen
Manoj Tapadia has written and directed the piece, with Kangana on board as co-producer. It’s a drama that puts a fine point on the hospital staff in 2008. Anjali Kulthe, a nurse who was instrumental in saving 20 expectant mothers at Cama Hospital, is the focus. The makers would have you believe it’s a story of courage that hasn’t been told enough.
Dr Jayantilal Gada’s PEN Studios is behind it, along with Manikarnika Films, Paramhans Creations and others. Esha Dey, Girija Oak and Smita Tambe are in the cast with Kangana.
Can word-of-mouth turn it around?
Comes Komal Nahta, who thinks the 26/11 angle might be a bit much for some and that the trailer didn’t do much to stoke the fire. That can be a drag on walk-ins, so we’ll be watching the Saturday curve to see if there’s any life in the weekend yet.
Kangana for her part hails it as an untold story of the kind of heroism you see when the going gets tough. A review or two has zeroed in on the courage, not the fear. Get the audience to buy into that and you can still build some steam.
