After Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 and JugJugg Jeeyo, finally, a Hindi movie is being released which carries a pan-India appeal, not catering to just the classes or gentry. In fact, no Hindi film since KGF: Chapter 2 could create the same amount of mayhem at the box office, leading to a rather dreary week-to-week situation for Bollywood. As such, it would be a wonder when the next Hindi film that can truly evoke the same ‘mayhem’ at the box office will be released.
Even so, there may yet be hope in the form of Shamshera’s release this Friday. This film can be truly described as A-grade in all aspects, given its Yash Raj Films production, Ranbir Kapoor’s leading role, and Sanjay Dutt’s part as the villain. Furthermore, it will have a wide India-wide release and is a reminder of when films like this used to be incredibly successful at a national level.
Certainly, had it not been for the pandemic, one could be sure of the movie achieving a minimum of Rs. 25 crores on its opening day. Given the absence of competitors such as KGF: Chapter 2 and RRR, a figure of Rs. 30 crores would have been within reach, thanks to the penchant of Sanjay Leela Bhansali for big-screen extravaganzas. Nevertheless, due to the influence of other filmmakers as well as the OTT platforms, viewers have now become increasingly choosy and discerning.
Thus, a Rs. 15 crore opening would be an acceptable benchmark for Shamshera, with anything above 18 crores deemed to be positive given the unpredictable box office conditions. Therefore, it’s prudent to err on the side of caution rather than having overly ambitious expectations.
