Box Office Report: The Josh is clearly visible in 2019 with Vicky Kaushal's Uri: The Surgical Strike

Karan Johar’s Takht is yet to go on floors. However, his two heroes are already locking horns. Aurangzeb (Vicky Kaushal) beat Dara Shikou (Ranveer Singh) at the ticket windows recently. Of course, Ranveer is still the hottest young superstar on the horizon and he proved this three times in a span of a year by scoring a hat-trick with Padmaavat, Simmba and Gully Boy.

Pre and post Pulwama

The last three weeks have been a trying time for India. Post the Pulwama attack (February 14) in which 49 of our soldiers lost their lives, the country stressed over the safe release of IAF (Indian Air Force) Wing Commander 
Abhinandan Varthaman. Frankly speaking, the only topic that occupied mind space was the loss of those lives, followed, of course, by the safe passage of our hero captured on foreign soil.

Honestly, many B-Town stalwarts and superstars rose to the occasion with their timely help and solidarity towards our armed forces. Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan and several others not only provided monetary help but also sent out messages to the families of the brave hearts, clearly indicating that they stood by them in their hour of grief.

While a number of social events stood cancelled, the film pundits and the public were also playing guessing games on the fate of the films at the box office. Everyone’s josh was high, so Aditya Dhar’s Uri: The Surgical Strike, which began its journey in January, continued its super-fantastic run through February. As of Tuesday (March 5), the Ronnie Screwvala production beat Rohit Shetty’s Simmba. This is no mean feat considering the fact that Uri charged normal ticket rates from the start of its run, while Simmba, which released on December 28, charged blockbuster prices. The Ranveer Singh-Sara Ali Khan entertainer had the advantage of a holiday period as well as that of big ticket rates. So, Uri’s victory is seen as extra-special and is a case study for “that many more footfalls.”

However, in all fairness, other films also didn’t get the push which the war drama got from the administration. With almost everyone in the country, uttering, “How’s the josh?”, life was made that much easier for Uri, which is now seen as India’s film flag-bearer, one that sent out a message to everyone saying – “Don’t mess with us.”

Sonchiriya didn’t work

This dacoit saga starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Bhumi Pednekar had the critics raving, but it left the public cold. The film barely managed a collection of Rs 5.25 cr until Wednesday.

Gully Boy Sang and All Listened 

Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt also got the youth of the nation rocking with Gully Boy. Zoya Akhtar’s story of an underdog from the Mumbai slums, who makes rapping history, is still running. Having collected around Rs 130.60 cr already, this industry and public favourite catapulted Ranveer to the top slot among Gen-Y.

Comedy kept its date at the movies

Serious stuff and musicals aside, the flip side of things is people also came out in droves to see comedies. Total Dhamaal was panned by critics, but loved by the people. Kids especially dragged their parents to see this Indra Kumar directorial that crossed the Rs 100-cr mark without an issue. In fact, it is still holding in the third week and is likely to take collections higher.

Of course, a spoke in Total Dhamaal’s wheel was the Kartik Aaryan-Kriti Sanon romantic comedy, Luka Chuppi, which also collected good numbers. Once again the critics were divided on their opinion on this one because of its hare-brained script. However, the public, who is clearly not so discerning, supported young love and gave the film “the right push.”

The numbers game

• Simmba (2018) – Rs 240.10 cr (Lifetime)
• Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) – Rs 240.95 cr (till Wednesday 6th March; expected lifetime under Rs 245 cr)
• Gully Boy (2019) – Rs 130.60 cr (till Wednesday 6th March, expected lifetime about Rs 135 cr)
• Total Dhamaal (2019) – Rs 130 cr (13 Days figures, still running)
• Sonchiriya (2019) – Rs 5.25 cr (6 Days figures)
• Luka Chuppi (2019) – Rs 49 cr (6 Days figures and counting)