Bollywood actor Aamir Khans sports drama film Dangal, whose box-office potential could have been affected by the Indian government’s demonetisation move, has received an “extraordinary response” and is hitting the right chord among audiences worldwide, say trade experts.
Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Dangal, which released on Friday in India (Thursday in the UAE), is based on a true story and chronicles the journey of a father who trains his daughters to wrestle.
The film revolves around Mahavir Singh Phogat, a former national champion who, much to the disapproval of his wife and his whole village, trained his daughters Geeta and Babita in the sport.
Ever since the government announced its decision to demonetise Rs500 and Rs1,000 notes, footfall at ticket counters have witnessed a decrease. But Dangal has managed to get “respite for the industry”, said trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
“Let’s begin the day with some heartening news. Dangal morning shows open to packed houses... Respite for the industry, finally,” Adarsh posted on Twitter on Friday.
“Dangal advance booking is terrific. Armed with tremendous critical acclaim and awesome word of mouth, this movie will be a game changer,” he added.
According to trade expert Komal Nahta, Dangal will be the biggest blockbuster of Indian cinema.
“Dangal off to grand start. History about to be written at box office. Indications are it will be biggest blockbuster of Indian cinema so far,” Nahta tweeted.
Delhi-based film distributor Joginder Mahajan said that Dangal been a “big relief” for single-screen owners across India who were looking to shutting down their cinemas.
“Dangal is receiving an extraordinary response and is poised to break all the records. For a long time, there was no good film released at the box office. That’s why the response was negative. The film is getting around 70 per cent occupancy pan-India and is likely to collect over Rs30 crore [Rs300 million, Dh16 million] on opening day,” Mahajan said.
He added: “The film is going strong in both multiplex and single screens as after a long time a family entertainer has come.
“What is good is that single screens in Delhi like Delite Cinemas, Shiela Cinema and Liberty have witnessed houseful shows after a very long time. They must have got a big relief considering the situation they are going through.”
Not only in India, Dangal is receiving an enormous response overseas, too.
Disney India, which is backing the film, said in a statement that North America opened night shows of the film on Wednesday and collected $325,000 (Dh1.1 million), while in the Gulf, the film released in 95 screens and is estimated to have collected $685,000 with some screens yet to be reported.
