Theaters screening Hindi films have never seen better than this. The week gone by created history as over 200 crore came in just a single week, and that too only for Hindi films. Between Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Baahubali, over 212 crore were collected. Now this is a record because the previous best record was held by Dhoom 3 [188 crore] followed by PK [183 crore] which had enjoyed a terrific first week.
Let us come to the specifics now. Bajrangi Bhaijaan missed being at the top of the list in first week earners too by just a whisker, as it netted around 186 crore*, hence falling a little short of Dhoom 3 [188 crore]. Not to mention the competition it is facing from Baahubali not just in South (which was expected) but also North (which was unexpected). However, the film is being appreciated by one and all, which would help it gain consistent footfalls in the second week as well. The film couldn’t surpass the lifetime total of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (188 crore) in a single week but it would do by this morning itself.
On the other hand Baahubali is doing great guns too, and brought in further 26 crore. This is terrific as the film still collected more in its second week than the lifetime total of the biggest dubbed release till date, Robot (20 crore). With around 73 crore already in, the film is making a dash towards the 90 crore mark. What is working in the favor of this S.S. Rajamouli directed affair is the fact that it is continuing to gain footfalls with an ever-spreading word of mouth, which is bringing in new audience. This is the reason why theaters are continuing to screen the film on a very good screen count in the third week as well.
Expect yet another bountiful week again for Bollywood.
Joginder Tuteja tweets @tutejajoginder
