Two Hindi films released recently have seen sharply contrasting fortunes at the box office. Awarapan 2, starring Emraan Hashmi, has opened on a strong note with occupancy of around 25 per cent, while Sunny Deol's Batwara 1947 has had a poor opening with initial audience of around 5 per cent.
Awarapan 2's Strong Start
Awarapan 2, a sequel to the 2007 film which found cult following despite being a disaster on release, is now proving to be a sureshot hit. The morning shows collections are more than double that of films like Welcome to the Jungle and Dhamaal 4. The film is set up for a Rs 20 crore nett plus opening day, with the Independence Day holiday boosting evening and night shows.
The film's costs are controlled, and recoveries are handsome. The success of tragic love story films in recent years has led to the sequel being made, and that has now paid off.
Batwara 1947's Poor Start
Batwara 1947 is off to a poor start, unlike other recent films of Sunny Deol. The film was set in production after the mega blockbuster success of Gadar 2, which brought Sunny Deol back to the forefront. The film has a partition backdrop with mass elements, but the premise of a Pakistani Sunny Deol saving a Hindu woman may not play as well to his core audience as Tara Singh fighting Pakistan.
Showcasing Controversy
The opening has highlighted a troubling issue in the industry. Despite Awarapan 2 having eight times the advance bookings of Batwara 1947, both films received similar showcasing. Batwara 1947 actually has more seats allotted in the country's biggest cinema chain because its distributor is also the chain owner.
"This sort of monopolistic practice is both ethically and commercially wrong. The Hindi film industry needs to fix this," the report stated.
Outlook
Batwara 1947, backed by Aamir Khan Productions, marks the return of Sunny Deol and Rajkumar Santoshi after a long gap. They previously delivered three classics: Damini, Ghayal, and Ghatak. The film's fate now depends on word of mouth and whether it can gain traction over the weekend.