YRF's poor box office streak continues; 'Shamshera' marks shaky start
Karan Malhotra's period drama Shamshera hit the theaters on Friday. The film had strong promotional plans in place and it gained more traction after the poster was leaked last month. However, despite all the promotions and buzz around the film, the same did not get reflected in the film's box office collection as far as Day 1 was concerned. Here's how the film performed.
Why does this story matter?
Shamshera marked the return of actor Ranbir Kapoor, who plays the role of the titular character in the film, after a gap of four years. The film also marked Malhotra's return to the director's chair after seven years. In addition to Kapoor, the film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Vaani Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Kabir Bedi, Saurabh Shukla, and Sharat Saxena, among others.
Despite releasing across 4,350 screens, film was poorly received
Considering that Shamshera is one of Kapoor's biggest titles apart from Brahmastra, the film was expected to have a double-digit opening at the box office. Unfortunately, the film opened to see a rather poor response and it also received mixed reviews from audiences and critics. To note, Shamshera was released in over 4,350 screens across India and still struggled to pull its weight.
'Shamshera' has to earn Rs. 20cr by Sunday
According to India Today, the Yash Raj Films-backed project grossed between Rs. 9.65cr to Rs. 10.65cr on Day 1. A report by Box Office India informed that "The film is the second widest release post-pandemic after KGF: Chapter 2 with over 4,000 screens in Hindi." It further mentioned that Shamshera would have to cross Rs. 20cr on Sunday to stay relevant in the game.
Earlier, Kapoor called Dutt 'Thanos of India'
In an interview, Kapoor opened up about sharing screen space with Dutt and said, "When you have a villain like him in the film, he's like the Thanos of India, as an actor it is an occupational hazard for you." Set in the fictional city of Kaza, Kapoor is pitted against Dutt who portrays the role of Shuddh Singh—a merciless, cold-hearted man.
