Paresh Rawal-starrer The Taj Story, that started on a slow note, picked up steam during the weekends almost doubling its earnings. The film that attracted controversy and lawsuits due to its disputed premise, claiming the Taj Mahal was originally a Shiva temple, has been drawing a decent crowd to the theatres.
Directed by Tushar Amrish Goel, The Taj Story is based on the theory that Taj Mahal in the 4th century was a temple called Tejo Mahalaya, before Shah Jahan turned it into a monument.
Historians and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) don’t agree with the disputed theory promoted by Purushottam Nagesh Oak in his 1989 book Taj Mahal: The True Story, Oak. The film also landed in legal trouble after a PIL was filed against it, but finally saw the light of day after the court directed makers to add relevant disclaimers.
How the film is performing at the box office
While the film opened to a lukewarm response, collecting Rs 1 crore on day, on Saturday, it more than doubled its earnings, amassing Rs 2 crore. On Sunday, it again witnessed a massive jump, reaching Rs 2.75 crore, according to trade website Sacnilk.
Despite weekends bringing in huge numbers for the film, the collections have seen a massive dip on its first Monday, with the film collecting Rs 1.15 crore. The occupancy rates of the film are also poor, with maximum audiences coming in from Chennai (27%) and Bengaluru (19%). The occupancy rates in Jaipur (14.25%), Ahmedabad (14.50%), Hyderabad (12.75%), Lucknow (11.75%), Kolkata (11.25%), and Delhi-NCR (10%) are below satisfactory, as per Sacnilk.
Looking at the overall collection of the movie, The Taj Story has collected Rs 7 crore in four days, a decent number.
Why Paresh Rawal agreed to do The Taj Story
Rawal who earlier courted controversy with another courtroom drama – Umesh Shukla’s OMG Oh My God as a co-producer and actor of the movie, signed on the film as he liked the ‘research’ done on it.
“In our cinema, there is a lot of ‘hanky panky’ and lies here and there. There are no lies, only facts here… When the script came, I read it and I liked it. What I liked about it was the research. Later, I verified the facts with a few friends and found it to be correct that this happened.
“Then I met the director and we decided that there is no jingoism here, it is all about Taj. People are saying that we want to create a Hindu-Muslim controversy but it is not like that. We have always stayed away from that. It’s fun to do an authentic research film which is usually not made here,” he told PTI in an interview.
Compared to The Taj Story, Prabhas-starrer Baahubali: The Epic, directed by SS Rajmouli, released on the same day, has collected an estimated of Rs 26 crore at Indian box office, shattering re-release records in India.
