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Neerja box office collections have been adding to the total steadily as the rival releases over the last 2 weeks have performed very poorly (it released on 19 February). That Neerja has been doing well has much to do with Sonam Kapoor having given a performance of a lifetime and that is keeping the crowds heading to the theatres. That it is based on a true life event in which a PanAm air hostess Neerja Bhanot lost her life while saving the lives of passengers during a hijack, adds to the interest generated. Neerja was felled by hijackers bullets while saving passengers during the hijack at Karachi airport on September 5, 1986. (Bollywood Hungama)
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Now, in the third week of its run, Neerja box office collections have soared to Rs 82.50 crore in India alone and overall Rs 103.10 crore by day 14. Here is the breakdown of what Neerja earned: Day 8 (Fri) Rs 3.15 cr, Day 9 (Sat) Rs 5 cr, Day 10 (Sun) Rs 6.65 cr, Day 11 (Mon) Rs 2.12 cr, Day 12 (Tue) Rs 1.90 cr, Day 13 (Wed) Rs 1.85 cr, Day 14 (Thursday) Rs 1.76 crore. In its Opening Weekend in theatres, Neerja box office collections had minted Rs 22.01 cr. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to his Twitter page to share the numbers and wrote 'Contest Is King'. "#Neerja goes from strength to strength. Fri 4.70 cr, Sat 7.60 cr, Sun 9.71 cr. Total: ? 22.01 cr. India biz. FAB! #ContentIsKing." (Bollywood Hungama)
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To create a little twist in the tale, keeping the movie at the back of the mind, ANI had asked the outspoken Sonam Kapoor what she is not afraid of, and this is what the Bollywood fashion diva said, "I am not afraid of men and it is a big deal because lot of women are. I think we are stronger and smarter definitely." (Bollywood Hungama)
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Neerja box office collections are also being bolstered by the fact that it has acquired a tax free status across a number of states. Following in the footsteps of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, now Rajasthan too has declared this Sonam Kapoor starrer tax-free. The trade analyst Taran Adarsh confirmed the news by tweeting #Neerja granted tax free status by the Government of Rajasthan." Expressing her gratitude to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, the 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' actress wrote, "A huge Thank You to Hon CM Smt @vasundharaBJP for making #Neerja tax free. Humbled by the gesture towards our nation's pride Neerja Bhanot." (Bollywood Hungama)
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At the other end of the spectrum, Neerja has been going through a tough time in Pakistan. Sonam Kapoor was quite upset over the film's ban in Pakistan and over the fact that her fans there are watching pirated copies of the movie. According to Dawn, Sonam said, "The film has not released officially there, but it is very sad that this has happened. Today I was doing a live chat and there are several of my fans who are from Pakistan. Since my films have done well in Pakistan, they're all watching pirated copies of the film over there." Sonam added, "I can't understand it, but I think this is all politics between both sides. I had said this before, there is no place for politics in art and sports and unfortunately that's what has happened." She added that this is a matter of sadness and she is very disappointed. (Bollywood Hungama)
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On the positive news side, the movie has gathered appreciation from every part of the country through calls, messages and tweets. Producer Atul Kasbekar shared a video on his Twitter handle, wherein the brave-heart Neerja Bhanot's brothers Aneesh and Akhil Bhanot speak about the movie. The video sees Neerja's brother Aneesh as saying, "The Bhanot family wants to express our gratitude to Atul Kasbekar, Ram Madhavani and the entire team. They promised us that they would keep the dignity of Neerja alive and that's exactly what they have done. Amazing!" Posting the video, Atul wrote, "Fab little thank u from @AneeshBhanot n @AkhilBhanot #Neerja 's brothers bout d film. Thank u for ur trust guys." (Bollywood Hungama)
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