Box office: Rajkummar Rao's 'Srikanth' makes strong debut with ₹2.25cr
Rajkummar Rao embraced yet another offbeat role as visually impaired industrialist Srikanth Bolla in the biopic Srikanth—theatrically released on Friday. Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, the film made waves by exceeding all expectations. With an impressive first-day collection of ₹2.25cr, the movie outperformed other recent releases like Laapataa Ladies and Madgaon Express. Rao's performance shines like a beacon, proving once again that he's a master of his craft.
'Srikanth' recorded impressive occupancy rates across India
On its opening day, Srikanth recorded an overall occupancy rate of 12.14% across India, with most viewers attending the night shows (16.02%), according to industry tracker Sacnilk. In Mumbai, which had around 484 shows, the occupancy rate was slightly higher at 13.25%. Meanwhile, in Delhi and NCR, which hosted 763 shows, the occupancy rate hovered around 12%. With positive word-of-mouth, the film is anticipated to experience a surge over the weekend.
It surpassed other recent releases at the box office
Srikanth has kicked off its journey with a strong start, surpassing the performance of other recent releases like Do Aur Do Pyaar and LSD2 (Love Sex Aur Dhoka 2), both of which premiered on April 19. The former, starring Vidya Balan and Pratik Gandhi, could only earn ₹50 lakh on its first day. Meanwhile, Dibakar Banerjee's LSD2 started with a mere ₹15 lakh. Now, all eyes are on Srikanth to see if it can reignite audience interest.
'Srikanth' surpassed Rao's previous releases in earnings
Meanwhile, it's worth noting that Srikanth has also surpassed the opening day collections of Rao's previous films. His last film Bheed (2023)—a social drama helmed by Anubhav Sinha—made ₹40 lakh on its opening day, while HIT: The First Case (2022) earned ₹1.35cr, per Bollywood Hungama. Produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar of T-Series, Srikanth features Jyotika, Alaya F, and Sharad Kelkar in pivotal roles.
Know about the storyline of 'Srikanth'
Bolla faces harsh discrimination from locals who deride him as "kachra" (garbage) due to his blindness from birth, deeming him incapable of thriving, let alone pursuing education or employment. However, his fate transforms when he gains admission to a school for the visually impaired, where his teacher Devika (Jyotika) emerges as his mentor. The narrative unfolds to chronicle his journey in India, his academic achievements, and his ventures into the world of business. Read our review of the film here.
