The Rakeysh Mehra directed biopic Bhaag Milkha Bhaag has won brownie points from critics and masses alike. And this was bound to happen, considering the good publicity and right buzz before the film’s release. The film was highly anticipated simply for Farhan Akhtar and people were curious to see the effort behind his decision to step into the legendary shoes of India’s famous athlete Milkha Singh! As far as the movie’s impressive collections go, we must say the actor didn’t disappoint the sports star.
The Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Pictures production grossed Rs 32.08 crores nett approximately in its first weekend. The film managed to earn Rs 1.30 crores from paid previews on Thursday and Rs 8.50 crores on Friday. The sports saga witnessed a big jump on Saturday and made Rs 10.50 crores; it got even stronger on Sunday, with Rs 10.25 crores.
“Having tasted success in multistarrers like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Rock On and failure with his only solo starrer Karthik Calling Karthik, Farhan has bounced back…and how!” says exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi excitedly. “The audience across cities with drastically diverse demographics is loving the film and the numbers have grown steadily by the day through the weekend. Despite the length being a bit of an issue, with a take off like that and the good word of mouth, the film should go past the finish line as quickly as the flying Sikh (Milkha Singh) did in his days on the track!”
The Delhi/Punjab area has had a fantastic weekend due to the film’s local flavour. Going by the positive word of mouth, the three-hour-plus-long biopic is headed for major success. The trade expects BMB to do a lifetime business of Rs 80-90 crores. Considering the exact numbers are still being compiled, Farhan Akhtar’s solo release ranks third after Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (Rs 61.87 crore) and Race 2 (Rs 48.17 crores).
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