2.0 to be Akshay Kumar’s biggest opener, courtesy Rajinikanth

Over the last few years, Akshay Kumar has made interesting choices. The Bollywood superstar has balanced his commercial outings with social dramas, both of which have been lapped up by audiences. Now, he is all set to share screen space with Rajinikanth in the mega-budget venture 2.0, which releases on November 29.

A sequel to the much successful Robot (Enthiran, 2010), it’s also the biggest Indian film ever made on a budget of over Rs 650 crore. Given that the first part fared extraordinarily well at the box office, even outside the South Indian market, we asked trade pundits about the expectations from 2.0.

AKSHAY: THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT

Akki plays the role of a mad scientist or crowman, the antagonist to Rajinikanth’s Chitti in the sci-fi. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh states that his character will be the ‘biggest highlight’ in the project. “This is possibly the first time a mainline actor has taken up a role like this. There’s a lot of curiosity about Akshay’s role after his look and the promos were unveiled. He’s playing a bad guy,  but nobody has done a film on this scale before. So, there’s definitely huge anticipation and euphoria. This could be a game changer,” says Taran.

Producer-distributor NR Pachisia, too, echoes the same sentiment and says, “The film’s creatives (promos and posters) featuring Akshay are creating a buzz among viewers. The curiosity will also help the film in the North Indian markets. Akshay will be the surprise package in 2.0. It’s such a larger-than-life character.” 

AN ALL-INDIA CONNECT

Barring Baahubali, South Indian films, which are usually dubbed in several languages including Hindi, don’t really work outside their own market. The trade feels 2.0, too, can also recreate the same magic as the SS Rajamouli film, thanks to the Pad Man actor’s presence. Taran asserts, “Akshay’s addition to the cast means that the film will appeal to a larger audience and is a huge advantage for the film’s Hindi market.” Pachisia adds, “If you see the first instalment of the franchise, it did exceedingly well even outside the South Indian market. Shankar, as a filmmaker, caters to the pan-India audience.”

Pachisia says, “It’s lovely to see a filmmaker who’s trying to make movies on such a huge canvas and at par with international standards. The layman is intrigued by the VFX work. 2.0 will open big across the country for sure.” He adds, “Karan Johar, along with Anil Thadani are distributing the film. They have always chosen quality products.” The two had also presented the Baahubali franchise, which went on to create history at the Indian box office.

2.0 WILL SURPASS AKKI’S EARLIER FILMS

Toilet — Ek Prem Katha, which released last year and collected over Rs 132 crore at the BO is Akshay’s highest-grossing film till date. But it will be a different scenario altogether with 2.0. Pachisia says, “The film is tracking really well, it is somewhere around Rs 34-35 crore. The scale and the format of the film are adding to the excitement.” Taran also agrees, “Although it’s too early to predict the film’s opening, it is expected to be in the Rs 30-35 crore range. That also means 2.0 will be Akshay’s biggest opener till date. His previous best is Gold (2018) which collected Rs 25.25 crore on the first day. 2.0 will easily surpass that.”

Earlier this month, Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Thugs Of Hindostan (TOH) had an unprecedented opening-day figure of Rs 52 crore (from all languages). Taran feels that the record will be broken, with the Rajini-Akshay film. He tells us, “TOH has not worked, so the audience is also hungry for a good film now. The start for 2.0 will be mammoth for sure. After that, it’s up to the content and how people take to it. 2.0’s collections from all combined languages will definitely beat TOH’s Rs 52 crore mark.”

The film is also reportedly being planned for a grand release in over 5,000 screens in India. But Taran reasons, “The screen count can be decided only a week before the film’s release. In all probability, the film will have a big release all over India.”