‘Darbar’, ‘Tanhaji’ or ‘Chhapaak’: Which Will Rule the Box Office?

All three release on 10 January.

Tanhaji, Chhapaak and Darbar clash at the box office.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Rajinikanth’s Darbar, Ajay Devgn’s Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak clash at the box office this weekend. While Thalaiva has his own faithful audience, what do you think will be Chhapaak and Tanhaji’s fate at the box office?

Tanhaji is a period drama based on the life of Tanaji Malusare, a general in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s army who fought in the Battle of Sinhagad. The film has a star cast of Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan and Kajol and features elaborate sets and CGI. It’s box office contender Chhapaak, directed by Meghna Gulzar, is inspired by the story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal and stars Deepika Padukone and Vikrant Massey.

Current estimates state that the Ajay Devgn-starrer could register box office figures double of that of Deepika’s film on opening day.

“The buzz for both Tanhaji and Chhapaak are average. Chhapaak is a limited release. So word of mouth will be an important factor for both.” says movie business analyst Atul Mohan. “As of now, Tanhaji could make between Rs 12-14 crore on the first day, while Chhapaak should make around Rs 5-6 crore,” he adds.

But will 12-15 crore be good enough for a film with a star cast and a generous budget of around 150 crores? Chhapaak has been made on a modest Rs 30 crore, so if the film does well, it could earn a tidy profit.

According to trade analysts, both films stand a fighting chance since they cater to different audiences. Tanhaji is more commercial while Chhapaak’s target viewers are urban multiplex-goers. Another deciding factor is the number of screens devoted to each movie. Tanhaji willl release across around 2,700 screens in India, and Chhapaak across 1,200 screens.

So who will win over the box office?