'Adipurush' opens amid much fanfare, lukewarm reviews

The much-talked-about Indian film Adipurush, a retelling of the Ramayana, opened on Friday to heightened emotions in many theatres with large crowds, a seat being reserved for Lord Hanuman and a man purportedly being beaten up in Hyderabad for criticising the film.

Directed by Om Raut and starring Prabhas as Raghav, Kriti Sanon as Janaki, and Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh, the movie is widely expected to have a bumper opening despite middling reviews.

For much of the day, Adipurush occupied social media space with videos and photographs of people offering prayers before settling down in their seats.

A seat bedecked with flowers and a picture of Lord Hanuman, another wrapped in saffron with a garland framing a photograph of the god and the words “Jai Shri Ram” in Hindi. That is how it was in many theatres across the country as crowds streamed in to watch the film, a retelling of the Ramayana.

The makers had launched a massive promotional campaign ahead of the release of the film, reportedly made on a budget of Rs 500 crore. At the trailer launch, the director had announced that a seat will be reserved for Lord Hanuman in every screening.

Emotions ran high outside theatres and in cinema halls. In Hyderabad, a man was purportedly beaten up for criticising the movie that he felt did not suit Prabhas' image.

His comments led to a heated argument between him and other fans of the Telugu star. It soon turned into a physical altercation.

There were also unverified reports of a man being beaten up for sitting in the seat reserved for Lord Hanuman.

The movie also faced criticism for the quality of its VFX and 'tapori' style dialogues mouthed by the actor playing Lord Hanuman. Critics were more severe in judging the film, calling it a hotch-potch of movies of the past.

Distributor-exhibitor Akshay Rathi, who owns theatres in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, said the early box office trend for the film was encouraging despite backlash.

"The numbers are very encouraging, the occupancy is at a level where we haven't witnessed since The Kerala Story and Pathaan. So, it is good to see audiences back in significantly big numbers to watch this version of Ramayana," Rathi told PTI.

Commenting on the criticism, Rathi said since the story is of faith, people are bound to be sensitive.

"Any version of it (Ramayana) that is ever told, will see people react positively and negatively, we are witnessing both. People are coming in large numbers," he added.

The advance booking numbers of "Adipurush" hinted at a bumper opening with trade experts pegging the film to do a business of over Rs 80 crore on its first day.

Gautam Dutta, PVR INOX Limited co-CEO, told PTI ahead of the film's release that they are looking at "close to Rs 80-85 crore" on the opening day.

Exhibitor and distributor Sunny Chandiramani, who runs 25 screens across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, also predicted a mega opening for the film.

"The advance booking is great, it is on par with any big film, like how it was in the case of Pathaan. We hope the film will earn Rs 25 crore in Hindi and overall, the film should do over Rs 80-100 crore on the opening day," Chandiramani told PTI on Wednesday.

However, the response has not been the same everywhere. Raj Bansal, who runs a three-screen multiplex in Jaipur, on Friday shared his disappointment with audience turnout.

"We had about 20-25 percent occupancy, our average ticket price was Rs 350. We are getting not-so-good responses, the worst ever. Some are saying, VFX is equal to video games.

"People are laughing, making jokes. Going by the reports (of the film), it seems the collection will dip. The film will not be able to survive on Monday. The hype created around the film went against it," Bansal told PTI. The senior distributor-exhibitor is unhappy about Hindi movies failing to keep the momentum high at the box office.

"This year we have had Pathaan, Tu Jhooti Main Makkaar, Zara Hatke Zara Bachke', which have done well at the box office so far. We are waiting for films to have a good run in theatres but that is not happening," Bansal added.

In Nepal, the film's release hit a snag as the screening was put on hold in cinema halls across Kathmandu following a controversy over a dialogue that calls Janaki as the daughter of India.

As per the mythology, Sita is believed to have been born in Janakpur, which is located in Nepal. Kathmandu City Mayor Balendra Shah asked the makers to rectify the mistake about the birthplace of Sita.

"Until the line 'Janaki is a daughter of India' contained in the South Indian film Adipurush is removed not just in Nepal but also in India, no Hindi films will be allowed to run in Kathmandu Metropolitan City (sic)," Mayor Shah wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

Nepal's film certification board also said that permission to screen the film in theatres will be granted only after changing the dialogue that describes "Sita as India's daughter".

The multilingual spectacle, produced by T-Series, released across the nation in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Tamil languages.