Actor Alia Bhatt's latest movie Gangubai Kathiawadi opened to a thunderous response at the domestic box office on February 25, collecting an impressive Rs 10.5 crore on day 1. It created a great deal of buzz among fans due to the star's powerful performance and its impressive production values. So, did the help live to expectations on its first Saturday? Here's the full report
Also read | 'Gangubai Kathiawadi': Alia Bhatt-starrer off to a good start at the box office
Day 2 collection
The film collected nearly Rs 14 crore on its second day, according to initial estimates, emerging as the top choice of the mass audience in most markets. Its two-day collection is likely to be around Rs 25 crore.
The heart of the matter
Gangubai Kathiawadi made a solid impact mainly because of Alia's star power and the fact that it marks her first collaboration with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the filmmaker behind blockbusters such as Bajirao Mastaani and Padmaavat. The trailer indicated that it would be nothing short of a visual extravaganza, which worked in the movie's favour.
Gangubai Kathiawadi, however, would have done even better had it not faced competition from Ajith Kumar's Valimai in Tamil Nadu. The Tollywood biggie Bheemla Nayak and the Marathi movie Pawankhind gave the biggie a run for its money in the Telugu states and Maharashtra, respectively.
Perfect timing
The film, which has outperformed Alia's previous 'heroine-centric' movie Raazi, comes at a time when the industry is trying to regain its mojo after the 'third wave' of the covid-19 pandemic. The positive response to the Gangubai Kathiawadi indicates that the audience is willing to visit cinemas under the 'new normal' provided the film in question offers a grand cinematic experience.
This is good news for Bollywood as big-ticket movies such as Jhund, the Prabhas-starrer Radhe Shyam, and Akshay Kumar's Bachchhan Paandey are slated to hit the screens in the coming weeks. It remains to be seen whether these movies keep the momentum going.
The way ahead
Gangubai Kathiawadi, meanwhile, is set to witness massive growth today as the word of mouth is quite favourable. The day 3 collection is likely to be around Rs 20 crore. If this is indeed the case, it will rake in nearly Rs 45 crore during the extended weekend.