Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees finally hit the theatres amid intense buzz on 25 January. Touted as one of the biggest release, the flick opened to jam-packed theatres on the first day.
Raees is clashing with Kaabil featuring Hrithik Roshan, which also released on the same day. There was a lot of controversy regarding the release dates of both the films. Amid the ongoing clash, there is one film which has stood strong despite having hit the theatres a month ago. It is none other than Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal.
The film is a biopic of former wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, who trains his daughters Geeta and Babita to become wrestlers. Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, the film also stars Sakshi Tanwar, Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra in pivotal roles.
It is foolhardy to compare the box office collections of both Raees and Dangal, as the former was released a day ago. But going by the first day’s collection, it is the wrestling drama which has emerged victorious on Day 1. Raees garnered Rs 20.42 crore, way behind Dangal‘s tally of Rs 30 crore. On the other hand, Salman Khan-starrer Sultan, which released last year, had fetched a whopping Rs 36.54 crore on the first day.
#Raees has a FANTASTIC Day 1… Wed ₹ 20.42 cr… Today [Thu; Republic Day] will witness HUMONGOUS biz again.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 26, 2017
Raees has Shah Rukh Khan play the titular role of a bootlegger in Gujarat who rises above to become a dreaded don. The film features Mahira Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub and Atul Kulkarni as welll. Sunny Leone appears in the song Laila Main Laila, which has become popular. The film ran into several controversies even after the release. Mushtaq Shaikh, son of yesteryear gangster Abdul Latif, alleged the film was based on his father’s life. He has threatened to file a defamation suit to the tune of Rs 100 crore as according to him Latif was shown in bad light.
