Box office collection: Vicky Kaushal's 'Sam Bahadur' sees slow start
Vicky Kaushal delivered his career-best performance in the highly anticipated film Sam Bahadur. Based on the life of India's first field marshal, Sam Manekshaw, the biopic is a fitting tribute to the army veteran's magnificent career of four decades. Released on Friday, the film registered a slow opening, as it took a beating from Animal, which opened with 10 times more than its collections.
Why does this story matter?
Sam Bahadur was announced in 2021, and its first teaser was released last year. Helmed by Meghna Gulzar, the film created a buzz after the makers released Kaushal's first picture as Manekshaw. The film opened to mixed reviews but earned praises for the performance of Kaushal, who not only picked up Manekshaw's mannerisms perfectly but also shouldered the movie until the very end.
'Sam Bahadur' minted Rs. 6.25 crore: Report
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Sam Bahadur's opening-day earnings were seemingly below expectations as it collected Rs. 6.25 crore. The Hindi film witnessed an overall occupancy of 29.18%, of which the highest numbers were witnessed in Pune (47%), followed by Chennai (37.25%), Delhi-NCR (36.25%), and Bengaluru (35.75%). Most moviegoers preferred watching night shows (49.69%), whereas morning shows had only 15.88% occupancy.
'Sam Bahadur' v/s 'Animal'
December started with one of the biggest Bollywood clashes, with Sam Bahadur and Ranbir Kapoor starrer Animal releasing on the same day. While the former is a biopic, the latter is a mass action entertainer. In the box office battle on their release day, however, Animal emerged as a clear winner. It earned Rs. 63.8 crore in India, per Sacnilk.
Team behind 'Sam Bahadur'
The film shows Manekshaw's glorious military years, including World War II, in which he was shot nine times by a Japanese soldier. It also features Sanya Malhotra, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayub, and Neeraj Kabi as Siloo Manekshaw, Indira Gandhi, Yahya Khan, and Jawaharlal Nehru, respectively. Backed by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP Movies, the film's music is composed by the trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
