The critics might have panned Vivek Oberoi’s turn as the prime minister in PM Narendra Modi, but the film is benefiting ever so slightly from the post-election high. According to the website BoxOfficeIndia.com, the film posted a first-day earning of about Rs2.25 crore nett.
This puts it ahead of Raj Kumar Gupta’s spy thriller, India’s Most Wanted, which got Rs1.75 crore nett approximately.
Neither collection is anything to boast about, of course, particularly with Disney’s Aladdin earning close to Rs4.50 crore nett the same day.
While PM Narendra Modi, despite the poor reviews, has the advantage of a post-poll high among supporters of the prime minister, often labelled ‘bhakts‘, or devotees, by their detractors, India’s Most Wanted does not share the same advantage.
In contrast, the holdover De De Pyaar De, with Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Rakul Preet Singh, enjoyed a decent second Friday with Rs3.25 crore nett. The collection is good considering that the film has lost screens to the new releases, and also had the post-election buzz to ride out.
The Friday earning takes Akiv Ali’s film’s overall collection to Rs60 crore. The film has been made on a budget of Rs75 crore, and might need to pull up its socks in the second week. With Salman Khan’s Bharat looming on the horizon (with the release set for 5 June), the possibility of love from the audience thereafter for the Luv Ranjan production seems dim.