Pawan Kalyan’s latest action film, Ustaad Bhagat Singh, has hit a major slump at the box office. After a promising start, the movie’s earnings dropped sharply on its tenth day, failing to reach Rs 1 crore on the second Saturday.
According to the latest industry reports from Sacnilk, the film earned approximately Rs 86 lakhs on Day 10. This brings its total net collection in India to Rs 68.91 crore. While the movie is slowly nearing the Rs 100 crore mark worldwide, its current pace is much slower than expected for a big-budget Telugu release.
Ustaad Bhagat Singh is falling behind other hits
The film’s performance is being compared to Pawan Kalyan’s previous successes, and the gap is hard to miss. By Day 10, They Call Him OG had already collected Rs 178.65 crore, while Hari Hara Veera Mallu stood at Rs 82.55 crore; both are way ahead of Ustaad Bhagat Singh.
A big reason for this struggle is the massive competition from the Hindi blockbuster Dhurandhar 2, starring Ranveer Singh. That film has become a record-breaking hit, earning over Rs 778 crore in India so far, which has left very little room for other movies to attract large audiences.
Theatre occupancy and regional trends
On its second Saturday, Ustaad Bhagat Singh was shown in over 1,100 theatres, but the seats were mostly empty. The overall occupancy was only about 25%. Even in Hyderabad, which is usually a stronghold for Pawan Kalyan, the occupancy was just 33%. Morning and night shows saw even lower numbers, with many theatres reporting less than 15% attendance.
Director’s take on the criticism
Director Harish Shankar has been open about the film’s mixed reception. In a recent talk, he praised the success of the competing film Dhurandhar 2, saying it handled themes of patriotism very well.
He also addressed the negative comments and ‘trolling’ on social media. Shankar stated that he welcomes ‘constructive criticism’ like feedback on the script or the movie’s slow pace, but he chooses to ignore anonymous trolls. He remains focused on the fans who have supported the film despite the tough competition.