Despite a double role by Ranbir Kapoor, who returned to the screen after five years, the roar of ‘Shamshera’ is fast turning into a whimper as the period film struggles at the box office.
According to Box Office India, the period film earned Rs102.5 million across India on the first day of collections, putting it in fifth place as the top Bollywood openers of the year, the other four being ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’ (Rs141m), ‘Bachchhan Paandey (Rs132.5m), ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ (Rs107m) and ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ (Rs105m).
The opening was largely buoyed by Ranbir’s star-power, along with producers Yash Raj Films releasing the film across 4350 screens across India, the largest rollout since the pandemic. Yet, according to news reports and industry reps, the film’s business took a hit on day two, fueled by several reviews that have critically panned the film.
Indian trade analyst Taran Adarsh also posted details about ‘Shamshera’, writing: “#Shamshera sends shock waves within the industry, as Day 1 ends on an underwhelming note... National chains poor, single screens below expectations... All eyes on Day 2 and 3 biz... Fri ₹ 10.25 cr. #India biz.”
Industry aggregator Box Office India posted ‘‘Shamshera’ was flat on Saturday as it collected around 10-10.25 crore (Rs102.5m) net again with the multiplexes not really going up while the mass belts did not drop either’.
Indian trade analyst Komal Nahta also posted that several shows of the film were also cancelled due to low turnout. “Dull Shamshera opening plunges the already nervous Hindi film trade into a further state of panic! Unfortunately, collections of the big film are small!” he wrote, adding: “Another big film… but the same story continues! Shows of Shamshera in the morning and noon/afternoon at some cinemas cancelled due to absence of audience.”
All eyes are now on the Sunday box office collections to predict how the Karan Malhotra directorial will ultimately perform.
According to multiple reports, the period film, which also stars Vaani Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt, was made at a budget of Rs1.5 billion. However, ‘Shamshera’s’ non-theatrical rights could buffer it from losses.
‘Shamshera’ is the story of a tribe that is tricked into slavery. But years later, a saviour rises and takes on the might of the British Empire to gain freedom for his people.
