BOX OFFICE: Alia Bhatt’s Raazi starts on a slow note

Given the lack of commercial viability and the tense subject of Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi, starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, it was expected people wouldn’t flock to the theaters in large numbers on Day 1. On the similar lines as Varun Dhawan’s October, Raazi has registered a decent occupancy of 15% all over India, with over 1500 screens in its kitty.

However, the makers don’t really have to worry about the future prospects of this motion picture as the budget is under control, which is around 50 crores, including print and publicity, and reviews are highly positive. There’s hardly any critic that has given it a lesser rating than 3. And we all know the impact word of mouth has, which powered this year’s October and 102 Not Out. Similarly, the collections of Raazi are likely to see a massive jump on the coming weekend, also because there’s no major competition this week or next week either.

If all goes well, Raazi should be able to collect around 20-25 crores in these three days, and if the audiences lap up to the film as warmly as the critics, this could be a 50 crore grosser. But going beyond commerce, Alia Bhatt has proven once again why she’s one of the most exciting actors of recent times.

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