'Vikram Vedha' takes average start; opens at Rs. 10cr
What's the story
Director duo Pushkar-Gayatri's neo-noir thriller Vikram Vedha has reportedly taken an average start at the box office.
Despite positive reviews, the film opened at about Rs. 10cr, which is similar to previous 2022 releases such as Shamshera and Samrat Prithviraj—both of which were critical and commercial failures.
Vikram Vedha is a remake of its namesake 2017 superhit Tamil film, helmed by the same directors.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Vikram Vedha stars Hrithik Roshan as gangster Vedha and Saif Ali Khan as dutiful cop Vikram.
The film draws heavy inspiration from the ancient folklore of Vikram and Betaal and underscores themes such as the battle between good and evil and ethical quandaries, etc.
Considering almost all critics have heaped praises on the film, it's slightly astonishing that its opening collection didn't meet expectations.
Details
'Vikram Vedha' may have suffered due to festivities
Reportedly, the film didn't perform well in mass centers such as Maharashtra and Gujarat, and naturally, will need to do well over the weekend to put up an impressive total on the board.
These numbers may have been impacted by the ongoing Navratri festivities, too.
The movie, which was released on 4,007 screens in India, mostly reported an occupancy of 15-20% on Friday morning.
Reasons
Despite star actors, why didn't 'VV' work on Friday?
There are a few other reasons that may have contributed to the lackluster performance of Vikram Vedha on its opening day.
For starters, its clash with Mani Ratnam's multilingual epic Ponniyin Selvan I—which had a larger reach across India—had a role to play here.
Moreover, Vikram Vedha's next to no marketing and the online availability of the original Tamil film are also key factors.
Information
Here's all you need to know about 'Vikram Vedha'
Besides Khan and Roshan, Vikram Vedha stars Radhika Apte, Rohit Saraf, Satyadeep Misra, and Sharib Hashmi.
It marked Roshan's return to the silver screen after three years—he was last seen in War (2018)—and is his 25th film.
Parvez Shaikh (Bang Bang) has supervised the stunts, while Vishal-Shekhar and Sam CS have helmed the music department.
Dialogues are by Manoj Muntashir and Benazir Ali Fida.