Rajkummar Rao’s courtroom drama Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story improved on its first Saturday, but the climb is starting from a small base. The film added Rs 3.15 crore in India nett collections on October 17, a 34% rise from its Rs 2.35 crore opening day. Its two-day worldwide gross now stands at Rs 7.98 crore.
The Saturday growth came despite a fall in show count. According to Sacnilk, the film played 3,908 shows on Day 2, down from 4,133 on Friday. Occupancy still rose from 13% to 17%, and footfalls for the day were 132,632. The cumulative footfall count since its October 16 release is 235,179.
That is the first useful signal for a film of this kind. Legal dramas typically depend on word of mouth and urban audiences, not on a front-loaded fan base. A Saturday increase on fewer shows suggests ticket buyers are pulling it along rather than the other way around — though the absolute numbers remain modest.
What the two-day total looks like
Prahaar has collected Rs 5.50 crore nett in India over two days. Domestic gross is Rs 6.48 crore, while overseas gross has added Rs 1.50 crore. That leaves worldwide gross at Rs 7.98 crore, effectively an Rs 8 crore global start.
It is far from Rajkummar Rao’s biggest box-office day. His strongest opening remains Stree 2, which earned Rs 51.80 crore on its first day in 2024. The comparison is not exactly like-for-like — a horror-comedy sequel with a built-in audience against a serious legal drama — but it gives a sense of the gap.
The fight around it
The film is facing a crowded weekend. This week’s releases include Yami Gautam’s Nayyi Navelli, Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 and Vijay Deverakonda’s Ranabaali. In that company, Prahaar is competing for screens and attention rather than leading the market.
- Saturday India nett: Rs 3.15 crore, up 34% from Friday
- Two-day India nett: Rs 5.50 crore
- Worldwide gross after two days: Rs 7.98 crore
- Occupancy: 17% on Saturday, up from 13% on Friday
Why the Sunday hold matters
For Prahaar, the opening weekend is less about scale and more about the shape of the curve. If Sunday holds or grows, the film can argue it has found an audience. If it dips, the conversation will shift quickly to the gap with the actor’s earlier hits. The subject — public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and the legal battles around the 1993 Bombay bombings and the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks — is heavy, but that weight is also what may give it a longer shelf life among viewers looking for a serious courtroom story.
Avinash Arun directs. Rajkummar Rao plays Ujjwal Nikam; Wamiqa Gabbi plays Jyoti Nikam; Lalit Prabhakar appears as Ajmal Kasab; and Jaideep Ahlawat plays Chaudhary Zulfiqar Ali. Ashish Vidyarthi and Sikandar Kher are also in the supporting cast.
Source: India Today
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