Deepika Padukone starrer Chhapaak has performed well on the first day of its release. The film has collected Rs 4.77 crore at the domestic box office on Friday. The business was good at high-end multiplexes but the mass circuits saw a lukewarm response from the audience which is understandable. The film deals with a sensitive issue and lacks the typical massey elements. The biggest attraction it has is Deepika Padukone.
Film critic and trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to his social media account to share the business figures of the film and wrote, “Chhapaak is ordinary on Day 1… Collects well at select high-end multiplexes… Biz at Tier-2 and 3 cities and also mass circuits is way below the mark… Growth on Day 2 and 3 crucial for a respectable weekend total… Fri ₹ 4.77 cr.”
#Chhapaak is ordinary on Day 1… Collects well at select high-end multiplexes… Biz at Tier-2 and 3 cities and also mass circuits is way below the mark… Growth on Day 2 and 3 crucial for a respectable weekend total… Fri ₹ 4.77 cr. #India biz.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 11, 2020
The film also ran into controversy after Deepika Padukone visited Jawaharlal Nehru University earlier this week to show solidarity with the victims of JNU attack. Soon after she visited the campus, a hashtag to boycott Chhapaak started trending on Twitter. The film does not have that much of screen count. It was released on 1700 screens in India and 460 screens abroad making the worldwide screen count to 2160. Looking at these factors, the first day collection is not disappointing.
Directed by Meghna Gulzar, Chhapaak is based on the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal who was attacked at the age of 15 by a 32 years old man.
Written by Meghna Gulzar and Atika Chohan, the film is produced by Fox Star Studios, Deepika Padukone, Govind Singh Sandhu, and Meghna Gulzar. Deepika Padukone will play Malti, a character inspired from Agarwal whereas Vikrant Massey will be seen as Amol, a social activist (and later Malti’s partner) inspired by the real life character of Alok Dixit. It was released on 10 January in theatres.