A good first weekend for ‘Chhapaak’

Deepika Padukone's latest release Chhapaak, which arrived in theatres on Friday opened reasonably well at the domestic box office and lived up to expectations. After raking in around Rs 11 crore in two days, the Meghna Gulzar-helmed movie continued its dream run on Sunday and remained the top choice of its target audience.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, trade analyst Joginder Tuteja says the film's three-day net collection could be around Rs 21 crore.

"Chhapaak picked up well over the weekend after opening along expected lines. It is doing well in multiplexes and has clicked with the urban audience. The three-day figure will be in excess of Rs 20 crore," he says.

Chhapaak hit screens alongside Ajay Devgn's Tanhaji and this affected its opening day collection, preventing it from reaching its full potential. The film, however, received rave reviews from most critics and this seems to have worked in its favour. The movie is likely to do decent business on Monday and might find wider patronage.

Chappaak is based on the challenges faced by acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal and features Deepika in a shocking avatar. The cast also includes Vikrant Massey and Anand Tiwari.

The film had run into trouble prior to its release when some Twitter users, with right-wing ideals, asked fans to boycott it following Deepika's 'silent support' for Jawaharlal Nehru University students.

Meanwhile, the Piku actress will next be seen in the sports-drama 83, starring Ranveer Singh as former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev. The film, revolving around India's triumph in the 1983 World Cup, has been directed by ace filmmaker Kabir Khan and will arrive in theatres on April 10, 2020.