Subhash K Jha (DNA; August 11, 2017)

The failure of some recent highly-anticipated biggies has had a Domino Effect on Anees Bazmee’s family-oriented comedy Mubarakan which is well on the way to becoming one of the bigger successes of the year.

The film opened on a lower scale and went on to become bigger with each passing day. In the following week of the release, additional shows were added in several centres. Despite reduced screens in the second week, the film continues its triumphant march at the box office with rock steady collections even on working weekdays — a phenomenon that has taken industry pundits by surprise.

So, what’s the secret of this startling turn-around? Says trade guru Komal Nahta, “It’s a good film and is growing due to a great word of mouth. Traditionally, Anil Kapoor has never been known to be an initialwaala star. The flopping of other films released during the same period has also helped Mubarakan remain steady in the second week.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan adds, “Mubarakan is a family entertainer, or as we say, paisa vasool. Such movies do take time to grow. The release of Jab Harry Met Sejal in the subsequent week did put Mubarakan on the back seat for a couple of days, but at the end of the day, good content always works in the long run. The cinema-hungry audience felt the film is worth their money. In Mubarakan’s case, it’s all about slow and steady winning the race!”

Anil, who is one of the highlights of Mubarakan, isn’t surprised by this turn of events at the ticket counters. He says, “Mubarakan is not my first film that had a low start at the box office. My other films like Judaai, Taal and No Entry had a subdued start too and went on to become big successes. I’ve never looked for instant success. I really enjoyed my character; Kartar Singh is destined to be iconic just like my characters in Mr India, No Entry, Nayak, Ram Lakhan and TV series, 24. I played characters in these films who are remembered to this day. Even now people call me Lakhan from Ram Lakhan or Kishen from No Entry.”

Arjun Kapoor who is also receiving praises for his portrayal of Karan and Charanjit in the film, says, “Every film finds its audience and Mubarakan has been defying the odds and sustaining because of the love of the audience nationwide.”