WILL NAYYI NAVELLI AND PRAHAAR WORK AT THE BOX OFFICE?
Tomorrow will see the release of two mid-sized but exciting films at the box office. Both the movies may not do well on the first day but have the potential to pick up if reports are on their side.
Nayyi Navelli stars Yami Gautam in the lead and marks her first association with director Aanand L Rai. The idea is very interesting – a woman is suspected of being a daayan by her husband’s family, leading to madness. Yami’s casting has further added to the buzz. This is her immediate release after her National Award win and therefore, the timing is just right.
However, the buzz is still limited for the film. But due to Yami Gautam and the horror-comedy genre, it’ll definitely entice a section of moviegoers to check out the film. As of now, it looks like it’ll open at Rs. 2-3 crores.
Prahaar, on the other hand, stars Rajkummar Rao as public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and focuses on how the 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab was convicted of his crimes. The teaser was decent but the trailer was quite powerful and managed to catch attention.
However, the film belongs to the niche genre and therefore, it would attract only some section of the moviegoers. Also, as it’s a Mumbai-based story, it’ll largely appeal to the people of the city. That’s the ugly truth of our country – people in other parts of India simply shun stories based in Mumbai. This was also visible in the box office performance of films based on the Mumbai underworld like Satya, Shootout At Lokhandwala, Shootout At Wadala, etc. Prahaar, sadly, will go the same way.
The courtroom drama should open at Rs. 1.50-2 crore and may go higher. Both films have released at a great time. Monday is holiday of sorts while Dussehra falls on Tuesday. In other words, these films will enjoy a five-day weekend.