Hard time for ‘Indian 2,’ ‘Sarfira’ at box-office

Last Friday marked the release of two highly anticipated films, Indian 2 and Sarfira. Indian 2, directed by Shankar and starring Kamal Haasan, is the sequel to the 1996 Tamil blockbuster Indian. On the other hand, Sarfira, directed by Sudha Kongara and featuring Akshay Kumar, is the official Hindi remake of the acclaimed Tamil film Soorarai Pottru. Despite the high expectations, both films have delivered underwhelming performances at the box office.

“Indian 2” opened to mixed to negative reviews. While it managed a decent showing in Tamil Nadu during its first weekend, the film saw a significant drop in collections on the following Monday. Early estimates indicate that Indian 2 grossed just 2 crores in Tamil Nadu on Monday, with a projected worldwide gross of less than 150 crores over its lifetime. This is a disappointing turn for the vigilante action drama, given its strong legacy and the anticipation surrounding its release.

Conversely, Sarfira received solid critical acclaim but failed to translate that praise into box office success. Despite several big names being attached to the project, the film's collections have been dismal. On the first Monday, both Indian 2 and Sarfira experienced severe crashes at the box office, with many shows being canceled due to poor turnout.

In an attempt to draw audiences, the makers of Sarfira introduced a Buy One Get One (BOGO) offer and promised refreshments to moviegoers. However, these efforts have not been enough to boost the film's performance. The response to Sarfira has remained lackluster, and both movies are now heading towards becoming some of the biggest box office disasters in Indian cinema history.

As these two films continue to struggle, the industry is left to ponder the reasons behind their failures, despite strong casts and significant pre-release hype. Fans and critics alike will be watching closely to see how these productions recover, if at all, in the coming weeks.