Two weeks in and Raazi has quickly made ₹90 crore net at the box office. It’s well on its way to crossing the ₹100-crore mark. The feat is exceptional on many accounts. For one, the film is led by a woman, Alia Bhat. And as is evident in the past few years, Hindi films without a bankable male lead rarely go beyond ₹50 crore net. Take for instance, last year’s Phillauri (₹25 crore net) and Tumhari Sulu (₹32.99 crore net) or this year’s Hichki (₹46.20 crore net) and Pari (₹27 crore net). They’ve all had A-listers but haven’t performed as well as their male peers. For those thinking of Padmaavat (₹284 crore net), while the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film had Deepika Padukone playing the titular role, it also had a mammoth budget of ₹215 crore along with support from Shahid Kapur and Ranveer Singh. Comparing its costs and earnings then, Bhansali’s film hasn’t performed as well as it should have.
Open and shut cases
Plus, there’s the fact that Raazi has had a fantastic opening – all things considered – of ₹7.50 crore. “This is the first film after Highway where she’s the face of the film,” says Shailesh Kapoor or Ormax Media, a firm specialising in trade insights. “She’s reached a level where she can pull audiences at ₹7 to 8 crore which Ranveer Singh or Ranbir Kapoor have opened at.” The only other female-led film to reach this level of has been Mary Kom in 2014 with ₹8.32 crore net. The Priyanka Chopra-starrer went on to make Rs 61.43 crore net which Raazi has already surpassed. “[Bhatt’s film] is not a comedy, it’s not masala and there’s no male lead,” says Kapoor. “Its performance is quite incredible then especially since a lot of male stars aren’t managing ₹100-crore films.”
In terms of competition, trade analysts are, for lack of a better way of putting it, comparing Bhatt with Padukone. The former’s peers like Parineeti Chopra, Sonakshi Sinha and Shraddha Kapoor have had hits but have not managed to pull audiences without a male co-star. Box office reign eludes Kangana Ranaut owing to her inconsistent performances after the failure of Simran and Rangoon . Katrina Kaif’s got two films this year -- Zero and Thugs of Hindostan – both of which are are male dominated. With Raazi ’s performance, it’s safe to say Bhatt is currently ruling the box office roost.
Healthy competition
Made on a reported budget of approximately ₹40 crore, and released in more than 1,800 screens, Raazi has been performing well in both multiplexes and non-urban areas with about 75% revenue coming in from the former. “The film proves that the market has opened up [however little] and that good stories can be led by women actors and can still make it at the box office,” says Girish Johar, a trade analyst. With no big Hindi release till Race 3 in mid-June, Bhatt’s film will continue to bring in the money.
Since its release, the spy-thriller has had mild competition with Hope Aur Hum and Deadpool 2 . The Hindi Naseeruddin Shah-starrer, released in just 150 screens, made ₹3 lakh on its opening day, ending its theatrical run at ₹19.25 lakh. The superhero film opened with a bang but according to reports, has been flailing for the past few days. An adult certification coupled with low audience resonance – the character isn’t Marvel’s most popular – have resulted in Ryan Reynolds’ film making approximately ₹41 crore net. This week’s Veere di Wedding could offer some competition, however its raunchy humour might keep family audiences at bay. Raazi then could continue selling tickets even in week four.
