New Delhi: The run-up to the end of the year has only brought with it one major hit. Ayushmann Khurrana’s Bala that has made ₹113.59 crore so far, is the standout performer of the month of November, building on the actor’s reputation for delivering modestly budgeted meaningful cinema.
“Ayushmann is clearly on a roll. He’s handling these taboo subjects with clean humour and in way that families can watch and relate to,” said film trade and exhibition expert Girish Johar. He added that Bala is Khurrana’s seventh hit in a row, after Dream Girl ( ₹139.37 crore), Article 15 ( ₹65.17 crore), Andhadhun ( ₹73.37 crore), Badhaai Ho ( ₹134.46 crore), Shubh Mangal Savdhaan ( ₹41.98 crore) and Bareilly Ki Barfi ( ₹34.02 crore).
Apart from Bala, another film released last Friday has brought good news: action drama Commando 3 has made ₹18.25 crore over the weekend. Trade website Box Office India said the film will beat the numbers of the previous two installments that had made ₹19.89 crore and ₹21.61 crore respectively, in a matter of four or five days.
Other Hindi movie offerings of the month, action drama Marjaavaan ( ₹57.71 crore), ensemble comedy Pagalpanti ( ₹28.15 crore), comedy dramas Motichoor Chaknachoor ( ₹2.07 crore) and Ujda Chaman ( ₹10.51 crore) and thriller drama Bypass Road ( ₹1.16 crore), did not manage similar business though.
The only Hollywood offering to have made a mark this month is Disney’s animation flick Frozen II that had earned ₹25.40 crore at last count, capitalizing on the fan following among children and older audiences alike.
“Frozen II is a success. Goes from strength to strength. Emerges big favourite of kids and families. Crosses lifetime business of Frozen,” trade analyst Taran Adarsh had tweeted.
Johar added that American mystery film Knives Out that released last Friday, has also managed impressive numbers of ₹2-2.5 crore with a limited screen count of 100 over the weekend. As far as non-Hindi language local offerings go, Tamil films Adithya Varma and Enai Noki Paayum Thota have notched up decent numbers.
To be sure, there is much to look forward to this last month of the year. Starting with war drama Panipat this week, there is Rani Mukerji’s action thriller Mardaani 2, Salman Khan-starrer Dabangg 3 and comedy drama Good Newwz later in the month. There are also Hollywood offerings, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Jumanji: The Next Level.
“December is the most critical month of the year. We’ve performed well so far so let’s see how we end the year and whether we outperform last year’s numbers,” Johar said.
All figures have been sourced from movie websites Bollywood Hungama and Box Office India
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