From an opening weekend collection of Rs. 37.25 crore, the Akshay Kumar – Kriti Sanon starring Bachchhan Paandey experienced a significant decline on its first Monday. From our estimations, it has managed to collect between Rs. 3.25 and 3.50 crores for the four days, now totaling at Rs. 40 crores overall. Across the country there was a noticeable decrease in viewership; National Chain showings dropped by nearly 70%! It appears that they have shifted their showcasing strategy towards The Kashmir Files and will soon take over all marketing efforts for Bachchan Paandeewithin one week’s time from now (Friday). With a successful trailer as well as solid casting choices made early on, many expected better numbers from this film but were dealt a setback when box office numbers arrived today (Monday).
The movie has been poorly affected by The Kashmir Files, despite being bolstered by the starring role of Anupam Kher. As soon as you mention Bachchhan Paandey, it sounds like a terrible film to those who haven’t even seen it yet. Though there is some praise for the Farhad Samji production – which people say is worth watching – its word-of-mouth promotion was not strong enough to compete with The Kashmir Files’ popularity among audiences. Consequently, after opening day when Bachchhan Paandey only earned Rs 60 crore from India’s cinemas (which will probably remain unchanged in coming days), it looks unlikely that the movie will break even.
