After witnessing a massive 71% jump on its first weekend, the earnings of Farhan Akhtar‘s historical war drama 120 Bahadur have dropped significantly on its first Monday. The film, that released on November 21, opened to huge critical acclaim for its heartwarming real-life story – a chapter from 1962 Sino-Indian war and powerful performances.
The film, directed by Razneesh Razy Ghai, recreates the Battle of Rezang La, bringing to life the bravery of 120 Indian soldiers from the Kumaon Regiment, led by Major Shaitan Singh, portrayed perfectly by Farhan Akhtar.
The word-of-mouth about the storyline and performances helped lift up the weekend numbers, but it looks like the hype has fizzled out with fewer people heading to the theatres on Monday.
120 Bahadur’s box office journey so far
Let’s examine the breakdown of the numbers and how the film has performed thus far.
The war drama opened on a slow note with Rs 2.25 crore collections on Day 1, at par with Mastiii 4, the fourth part of the adult comedy franchise. On Saturday, things changed as people turned in huge numbers to watch 120 Bahadur and the earnings saw a 71.1% rise, taking the Day 2 collections to Rs 3.85 cr. Sunday saw an even better collection adding Rs 4 crore more to the kitty.
However, Monday earnings seems to have dashed the hopes of the film turning into a blockbuster with a meagre Rs 1.4 crore collections. With a massive budget or Rs 80–90 crore, the film has a long way to recover its budget. Given the current pace, it’s unlikely the film will recover its costs.
Storyline
120 Bahadur is based on the events of Battle of Rezang La that transpired during Sino-Indian War fought on November 18, 1962. 120 soldiers of the Charlie Company, 13 Kumaon Regiment fought bravely against a 3000-strong Chinese Army contingent.
Major Shaitan Singh Bhati who led the soldiers was posthumously conferred the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military honour, for his bravery.
Star cast
While Farhan Akhtar plays Major Shaitan Singh Bhati, Raashii Khanna portrays Shagun Kanwar, Major Bhati’s wife. Other actors include Vivan Bhatena, Ankit Siwach, Dhanveer Singh, Sahib Verma, Sparsh Walia, and Eijaz Khan among others.