New Delhi: Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda-starrer Highway may not be a big grosser at the box office, but it is faring better than Jimmy Sheirgill’s Darr@The Mall, trade pundits say.
The Imtiaz Ali directed film has collected around Rs150 million (Dh8.89 million) in India, leaving Darr@The Mall far behind, despite both films reportedly hitting the same number of screens — approximately 800 — in India last week.
“Darr@The Mall has earned around Rs35 million in four days. Highway has collected between Rs150 million and Rs155 million,” Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines said.
Puneet Sahay of Spice Cinemas said that Highway, co-produced by Ali and Sajid Nadiadwala, picked up well over the weekend.
“The occupancy on the opening day was only 42 per cent. It picked up on Saturday with 78 per cent occupancy. Highway did better on Sunday with 83 per cent occupancy. The audience appreciated Alia’s acting and also the picturisation,” Sahay said, adding: “On Monday, the occupancy dropped to 35 per cent.”
“Darr@The Mall is not doing well. Occupancy was around 20 per cent in the first three days and on Monday, only 15 per cent,” he said.
It’s not just the audience that was stunned by Bhatt’s screen presence, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan also praised the 20-year-old in a tweet.
“’HtohP’(‘Hasee Toh Phasee’) and ‘Highway’ ... two films back to back and did not want to come away from them. Parineeti and Alia ... gems,” Bachchan tweeted on Sunday.
Actress Raima Sen was also spellbound by Bhatt’s acting in the film. “Saw ‘Highway’. Alia totally rocked! New star is born,” Sen tweeted on Monday.
