Ahead of Gangubai Kathiawadi’s release, Alia Bhatt knew she would gauge the film’s success by the love and praise it would receive from the audience. Box-office collections were secondary. But the exhibition sector, which had bled since March 2020, saw the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film as a means of revival. Thankfully, the movie has delivered on both counts, earning acclaim as well as a strong opening weekend total. After amassing Rs. 10.50 crore on Friday and Rs. 13.32 crore on Saturday, Gangubai Kathiawadi collected Rs. 15.3 crore on the third day, taking the first weekend tally to a solid Rs. 39.12 crore. The Bhatt-starrer has become the first female-fronted movie after the pandemic to score big at the box office.

Does this bring cheer among filmmakers and exhibitors? It’s an emphatic yes from trade analyst Taran Adarsh. “The film has brought back confidence and hope for filmmakers. It’s a good sign as people are ready to go to theatres to watch quality content. Given Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s scale of films, this was expected, but we weren’t sure in what numbers people would step out.”

Adarsh adds that the movie is likely to maintain its momentum over the next few days. “It’s Maha Shivratri on Tuesday, so we are expecting more footfall.”

The leading lady dropped by Bandra’s Gaiety-Galaxy over the weekend to see how her labour of love was faring. Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 multiplex, says, “I haven’t seen a woman-centric film getting this kind of love, especially after the pandemic. All the shows since Friday have been housefull. There hasn’t been a major dip in the Monday shows, which is rare.”

With the daily Coronavirus cases having dropped sharply in Mumbai, Desai hopes the state government will reconsider its 50 per cent occupancy rule. He states, “A film like this deserves 100 per cent occupancy.”

Bhatt has her own reasons to bat for the film’s box-office success. The actor believes Gangubai Kathiawadi’s success will play a key role in paving the way for more big-budget women-centric movies. “This film saw the producer and the director invest their money where their mouth was. This is a genre that thrives on scale, and aesthetics require big bucks. If the film does well, I hope more female characters like this will be written — parts that have gravitas, mass appeal and are on the front foot,” she says.