Vicky Kaushal's 'Chhaava' roars with ₹31cr opening
What's the story
Vicky Kaushal's latest release, Chhaava, has taken an incredible start at the box office.
Despite mixed reviews, the Laxman Utekar directorial set a new record for the highest-grossing opening of 2025.
According to trade tracker Sacnilk, Chhaava earned around ₹31cr (nett) across all languages on Day 1 (Friday).
Record-breaking debut
'Chhaava' set new benchmarks for Kaushal and 2025 releases
Not only did Chhaava set the best opening of Kaushal's career, it also set a new benchmark for Indian films in 2025.
It surpassed the actor's own record of ₹8.20cr set by Uri: The Surgical Strike, becoming his biggest opener ever.
It also trumped Akshay Kumar's Sky Force, which earned ₹15.30cr on its opening day last month, making it the highest-grossing debut film of 2025.
Valentine's victory
'Chhaava' surpassed 'Gully Boy's Valentine's Day collection record
Chhaava also shattered Gully Boy's 2019 record of ₹19.40cr, recording the highest collection by an Indian film on Valentine's Day.
The film also sustained a steady 42.02% occupancy in Hindi throughout its opening day.
It increased as the day progressed, starting at 30.51% for morning shows and peaking at 62.55% during night shows.
Film details
'Chhaava' boasts star-studded cast and high production value
Produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films, Chhaava is a historical action film based on the life of Maratha King Sambhaji Maharaj, essayed by Kaushal.
The film also stars Rashmika Mandanna as Maharani Yesubai, Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb, Ashutosh Rana as Sarsenapati Hambirao Mohite, and Divya Dutta as Soyarabai.
Adapted from Shivaji Sawant's Marathi novel Chhava, it features a score and soundtrack album by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Irshad Kamil.
Piracy concerns
'Chhaava' faced piracy threats despite strong advance booking
Despite selling nearly 5L tickets across India in advance booking for its opening day, Chhaava was not spared by the web of piracy.
The film, which took over a year to make and had a budget of around ₹110cr, is now available on search engines.
It has been uploaded on multiple piracy websites such as Filmyzilla and Tamilrockers, with numerous resolutions including 1080p, 720p, 480p, 360p, and HD quality.