KRISHNAVATARAM PART 1: THE HEART has done reasonably well till date or a better way to put it is that it has found appreciation in pockets like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Mysore. This has allowed the film to hold well over 3-4 weeks. The film has collected 30 crore nett plus till date and there is also a near 2.75 crore coming the from the regional Tamil and Telugu versions with the latter having most of the contribution.

The film is based on Lord Krishna and is a Devotional/Mythological film and its devotees which take these type of films to another level when they create a wave but that has not happened here. When the trailer come out, there started a talk of a potential break out probably due as the film had some scale and more importantly the genre. But history tells when this type of talk happens, then the breakout is unlikely as the talkers are pretty much clueless.

The JAI SANTOSHI MAA's or MAHAVATAR NARSIMHA's do happen but its when no one can even imagine a breakout before release while if there is some sort of expectation however minor outside the involved parties, then it does not happen. There is an expected part two of the film which maybe can do better as this one has some appreciation but that depends on whether makers see the results of this film as good enough for a second part to do well and even recover the likely losses on the first part.

The box office collections of KRISHNAVATARAM PART 1: THE HEART are as follows.

Week One - 11,99,00,000 (inc Paid Previews)

Week Two - 9,65,00,000

Week Three - 6,46,00,000

Fourth Weekend - 2,50,00,000 apprx

CHAND MERA DIL collected 17.75 crore nett apprx in its first week after a weekend of 10.50 crore nett. The weekdays have seen fair holds but were aided by buy one get one free offers and a holiday on Thursday for Eid. And then you have the normal discounted Tuesday anyway. If these holds had come without the offers, they would have been decent.

The problem is when these things are in play, then they have to continue; otherwise, the drops come. The film is playing on discounted rates on Friday which should keep it afloat above its real level but as Thursday was a holiday, there will be a drop from those collections. If the film can get near the 30 crore nett mark, it would be a respectable number though it would have come with the benefit of offers.

Basically, it has to hold under 50% for the second week as it will struggle to collect after that as there are a good number of releases for the next few weeks. The main problem is the film has a limited audience in a few metros and with a limited audience, it is always going to be a struggle to break out which these films have to do if they are get anywhere in the numbers game.

The collections of CHAND MERA DIL are as follows.

Friday - 2,75,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 3,50,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 4,15,00,000 apprx

Monday - 2,00,00,000 apprx

Tuesday - 1,75,00,000 apprx

Wednesday - 1,50,00,000 apprx

Thursday - 2,00,00,000 apprx

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CHAND MERA DIL collected a low 4.75 crore nett in its second weekend. The film got advantage of an offer on Friday which meant there was not much growth on Saturday and Sunday is always a struggle for films which don't have any appeal for the core Hindi circuits. The second weekend has collected 4.75 crore nett which is the same as PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO in its third weekend. 

A low opening weekend is not much of an issue for films like CHAND MERA DIL as its from Monday where they have to add and make up ground but this film has not managed to do that. It could have got away with a 10 crore nett plus first weekend but not a 4.75 crore nett second weekend. It has to be doing much better and these types need a second weekend close to their first weekend and here it will be well short. The business after its second weekend stands at almost 22.50 crore nett.

The collections of CHAND MERA DIL are as follows.

Friday - 1,25,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 1,75,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 1,75,00,000 apprx

Second Weekend - 4,75,00,000 apprx

The lack of releases benefited PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO as it held up well in its third weekend collecting 4.75 crore nett. The second week had shown a drop of 55% and this week is sure to be of 50%. It could even be a drop of less than 40% depending on the weekdays which is a good hold but its all too late in the day as not enough was collected in the first two weeks. The film is standing at 45 crore nett so far and should finish around the 50 crore nett mark though there will not be much business post the third week.

The figures for PATI PATNI AUR WOH DO are as follows.

Friday - 1,00,00,000 apprx

Saturday - 1,75,00,000 apprx

Sunday - 2,00,00,000 apprx

BHOOTH BANGLA has set a record for Akshay Kumar starrers as it collects around 3.75 crore nett in week six. This is the highest ever collection for an Akshay Kumar starrer in week six and that too by a margin. In fact it is a huge margin as no Akshay Kumar film has collected more than 1 crore nett in week six with the biggest one being WELCOME in 2007 with around 90 lakhs nett.

A lot has to do with how the box office is at present with a lack of releases and the successful films getting longer extended runs especially if films releasing after don't work. So, despite this being a record which has come after years and far ahead of anything before, it will be no surprise if it is beaten again with the right film and right timing.

BHOOTH BANGLA remains steady going into the seventh week as it collected 40 lakh plus on its seventh Friday which means a 2 crore nett weekend is practically certain though there is the IPL final on Sunday which may hit business. However, at these levels, it will be only in lakhs.

The film is now practically certain to beat the business of HOUSEFULL 5 unless the collections are nothing when the South dubbed film PEDDI and HAI JAWANI TOH ISHQ HONA HAI release next week. When BHOOTH BANGLA opened, the film looked at the target of JOLLY LLB 3 which was 115 crore nett and six weeks later its on target to cross the 160 crore nett plus of HOUSEFULL 5.

HOUSEFULL 5 had collected 113 crore nett in the first week and BHOOTH BANGLA was around 82 crore nett including paid previews. By the end of its run, it will be covering this 31 crore nett gap and more as it heads towards a 162 crore nett apprx finish.

DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE has smashed the record for Hindi films across India by a huge margin of 30% but it has turned out to be no competition for PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE in CP Berar as the latter is around 27-28% better. DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE has done extraordinarily well in the circuit but the collections of PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE were something else due to the appreciation of PUSHPA: THE RISE - PART 01 in the centers of CP Berar.

There are other circuits where DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE is second best to PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE like Rajasthan, CI, Bihar and Odisha and also sub circuit Gujarat but the gaps are nothing like CP Berar. Even an Odisha, where the gap was most likely to be the highest, is only 15% less but it can be due to a Telugu version of PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE in play in the circuit. Both CP Berar and Odisha have a history of out performing for South films. Even that 80's phase where they were not South films but Hindi films made by South producers/directors tended to do better in these circuits.

DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE may not be the top grossing film in the circuits mentioned above but to be close to a PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE in the likes of Rajasthan, CI, Bihar and Gujarat is actually a huge achievement in itself as the former is not a mass film like the latter and that can be seen by the collections in the smaller centres of these circuits. It is the bigger centres of these circuits be it a Jaipur, Patna or Indore which have taken it close to the PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE collections. The biggest film in the circuit ever is SHOLAY (1975) like in most circuits while second place you would give to HUM AAPKE HAI KOUN (1994). This century, it would be GADAR (2001) followed by PUSHPA 2 - THE RULE.

The all time top ten grossers in CP Berar are as follows.

1. Pushpa 2 - The Rule - 56,07,00,000

3. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion - 34,84,00,000

4. Chhaava - 34,40,00,000

5. Dhurandhar - 33,79,00,000

6. Gadar 2 - 32,32,00,000

7. Stree 2 - 30,70,00,000

8. KGF - Chapter 2 - 28,03,50,000

9. Animal - 23,86,50,000

10. Jawan -22,14,00,000

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DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE has emerged the highest grossing film ever in West Bengal which did not look like happening on release. It was pretty much certain on day one that it would be the top film in North India, South India and probably Mumbai as well though Central and Eastern side would be tougher. It has not got to the top in any circuit in the Central circuits of Rajasthan, CP Berar and CI but has managed to be number one in West Bengal and Assam in the East.

The record in West Bengal was a big one as JAWAN had a big total which was 9 crore nett higher than anything else and West Bengal had been one of the weaker circuits for DHURANDHAR. Compared to JAWAN, it has underperformed in West Bengal but that is more to do with the Shah Rukh Khan factor who is by far the biggest star in the circuit. It can be seen below that it is JAWAN and PATHAAN that have out performed in this circuit. So, despite the star factor not being what it used to be, it still pays a part but its area by area an is not across the board.

There is also WAR but had advantage of Puja week and its possible that Hrithik Roshan is next most popular star here after Shah Rukh Khan. DHURANDHAR also has that Punjabi base which historically has never worked that well in West Bengal but the series overcame that too as well due to the content. DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE is practically at the end of its run and will finish at around 44.25 crore nett as its hardly playing in the circuit now.

The top ten grossers in West Bengal are as follows.

2. Jawan - 43,68,50,000

3. Pushpa 2 - The Rule - 35,32,00,000

4. Pathaan - 34,95,00,000

5. Dhurandhar - 32,56,00,000

6. Stree 2 - 28,18,00,000

7. Baahubali 2: The Conclusion - 27,47,00,000

8. KGF - Chapter 2 - 24,77,50,000

9. War - 22,89,50,000

10. Animal - 19,69,00,000

DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE has emerged the second highest grossing Hindi film ever after PATHAAN as it collects $47 million plus and this includes Nepal as the general figures from the overseas distributors will not include this. The collections without Nepal are $46.375 million till date. The film has finished a little short of PATHAAN but with a Gulf release, it would have been way ahead. In terms of INR, it is the highest ever due to the ever weakening Rupee. It has a gross of 438 crore compared to the 396 crore of PATHAAN.

It would have become the first film to cross $50 million and maybe even $60 million. Its hard to judge how much Gulf would have done. JAWAN is best with $17.70 million and if we take that figure, it would be $65 million for DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE but its an unknown how much it would have done in Gulf. You can probably say $10 million was certain and $20 million was potential as the Muslim crowd may have been compensated by the South Indian crowd like its happened in UK but this is an unknown and will remain that way.

JAWAN would be in second place if we count the collections from the regional versions but that's going away from the Hindi film and in that way there are many films which got a Far East release which are ahead with Dangal on top at $233.80 million. The Far East countries may well be showing a Hindi subtitled or dubbed version but generally its not the same as the original Hindi film. In this way DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE is the eighth highest grossing film overseas. 

The business of DHURANDHAR THE REVENGE easily puts that $50 million target up for grabs for the original film and there are a couple of big films later on this year which can target that figure.

The top ten grossers Overseas for original Hindi films are as follows.

1. Pathaan -$48,500,000

3. Jawan - $46,800,000

4. Dhrandhar - $32,00,0000

5. Dangal -$30,700,000

6. Padmaavat - $29,140,000

7. Bajrangi Bhaijaan - $28,640,000

8. Dhoom 3 - $28,330,000

9. Animal - $27,210,000

10. Dilwale - $26,580,000

On Sunday, actor Taapsee Pannu spoke out against the unrealistic pursuit of a flat belly by some women, urging them to avoid subjecting themselves to extreme measures.

The 38-year-old, last seen in Assi, shared a series of videos on Instagram Stories, opening up about her own experience and past obsession with achieving a flat midriff.

“While growing up, I was extremely fit, but I never understood why the lower belly fat always stayed. I worked out intensely almost to an extent that I overpushed myself... and when you overpush yourself, it rings an alarm in your brain that your body needs protection. So instead of actually losing water retention, the body starts retaining it, and then that lower belly fat stays,” she shared.

Taapsee went on to explain that a flat midriff isn’t something one can, or expect to, maintain at all times because a woman’s body goes through several hormonal changes.

She continued, “I accepted it very late after really torturing myself... My nutritionist Munmun Ganeriwal explained to me how it’s actually important to have that little bit of fat and water retention under the belly because that’s where your reproductive organs are, and they need protection, and by virtue of being a woman, you need that protection.”

She advised: “Just to get those perfect Instagram pictures, please don’t torture yourself.”

After author Amish Tripathi shut down speculation earlier this month about actor Ranveer Singh playing Lord Shiva in a film adaptation of The Immortals Of Meluha, rumours of another project based on the bestselling novel began doing the rounds. Reports claimed that director-screenwriter Suparn S Varma has been researching the project for the past two years. However, when contacted, Suparn clarifies that he is not involved in any new film adaptation of the book. “I wish I was. I would love to be, but no,” he shares.

The 51-year-old adds, “I had worked on it earlier when Roy Price (US producer and former Amazon executive) had taken the rights. It is one of my most beloved projects. But it didn’t transpire then. I think the rights have gone back to Amish.”

We also reached out to Amish, who says reports of any movie deal being signed for the Shiva Trilogy “isn’t true at all”. “Lots of deals have happened earlier but nothing has been made as yet, ” he says, adding, “Quality is more important than speed. I don’t mind it if it takes time.”

Actor Neha Dhupia has opened up about the impact of harsh beauty standards in the entertainment industry, recalling how a casting director’s comment about her smile affected her confidence for nearly a decade.

Speaking on her show Double Date, which she hosts with husband and actor Angad Bedi, Neha shared the experience during a conversation with actors Huma Qureshi and Saqib Saleem.

Recalling an incident from the beginning of her career, Neha said, “Jab main ekdum nayi thi industry mein, I was going for an audition for a TV show. I was sitting in a casting director’s car and he looked at me and I smiled. He said, ‘You don’t smile. You look bad when you smile. You have more power on your face when you don’t smile.’”

The 45-year-old said the remark stayed with her for years. “After that I even won Miss India but you see my photos, I am not smiling. It affected me for 8-10 years before I recovered,” she said.

The actor, who won the Femina Miss India 2002 title and represented India at the Miss Universe 2002 pageant, also revealed that losing Miss Universe had impacted her confidence and that she took nearly eight to 10 months to recover emotionally.

During the conversation, Huma also spoke about dealing with social media trolling after her second film, Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 (2012). She said the criticism pushed her into a shell and eventually led her to seek therapy and begin journalling.

Singer-composer Adnan Sami, who became an Indian citizen in 2016 after giving up his Pakistani citizenship, says he has made peace with people questioning his loyalty to India because of his roots. “Main unko maaf karta hun, they will learn eventually,” says the singer, who recently released his single Lipstick.

Known for hits such as Lift Kara De and Tera Chehra, Adnan says he is happy to connect with a younger audience while staying true to his musical style. “I know all people are looking at today is that 15-second hook in their song, but I don’t let that govern my thought process,” he says.

The singer also believes music today is becoming too algorithm-driven. “Musicians today put so much emphasis on the hook that the rest of the song suffers at times. But if you make a good song in its entirety, the hook will come on its own,” he says.

Apart from music, Adnan often makes headlines for his political views. Earlier this year, he drew criticism online after sharing pictures from his meeting with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, with some social media users once again questioning his patriotism.

Reflecting on the scrutiny he has faced, the 54-year-old says, “I had to fight for over 18 years and there were many rejections along the way. I have been subjected to a tremendous amount of scrutiny on both sides of the border.”

He adds, “When you acquire it (Indian citizenship), your loyalty is greater than anyone. So, when someone questions it, I just laugh at them as they inherited it, but I fought for it.”

Adnan had earlier addressed similar criticism in 2023 as well, when online debate around his political views and nationality resurfaced.