Mumbai, Jan. 26 (TNS): After chaos across India, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat has taken the country by storm.
Amid widespread protests around cinema halls by various fringe outfits in Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, Padmaavat had released in the theaters on January 25 and it has collected Rs 19 crore on its opening day. Mired in controversy for its alleged “misrepresentations” and “distortion of facts,” the opulent period drama was supposed to hit the theaters on December 1 last year.
It was cleared with a U/A certificate by the CBFC but was later banned by some state governments including Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The Supreme Court later paved the way for its release by staying the state ban. But the vandalism around the theaters and multiplexs has only intensified in the past few days. From a children’s school bus being pelted by Karni Sena hooligans to state bandhs, the furor around Padmaavat has refused to die down.
So, will the period be able to attract audiences to the theaters? Trade analyst Taran Adarsh reports that the opening collection for Padmaavat stands at Rs 19 crore despite the widespread disturbance.
Talking about the paid preview shows on Wednesday, Taran had earlier tweeted the first box office figures, “Despite challenges and extremely limited preview shows [which commenced in evening], #Padmaavat collects RS. 5 cr in previews screenings on Wed.”
Reportedly, 50-60 percent occupancy had been observed yesterday in cinema halls for Padmaavat shows. Film buffs had even expressed fear over coming to watch the period drama. On one hand, the screening of the film had altogether been refused in some pockets, on the other, some shows of the film were even going housefull in the metro cities.
