Rajkummar Rao’s Prahaar opened to ₹2.5 crore net in India on Friday, October 16, a figure that clears the entire three-day opening weekend of Shahid, the film that announced him as a serious courtroom-drama actor.
Produced by Maddock Films, Prahaar traces the career of public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who pursued the death sentence of Ajmal Kasab. The opening number is not a record for Rao, but the comparison with Shahid is a sharp way to measure how much his draw has grown.
A single day against a full weekend
Hansal Mehta’s Shahid opened on October 18, 2012 with ₹45 lakh on day one and closed its first weekend at ₹2.05 crore. Prahaar’s Friday total of ₹2.5 crore is higher than that full three-day sum, thirteen years after the earlier film’s release.
That comparison matters because Shahid earned Rao a National Award and established his credibility in the genre. A new courtroom drama clearing the old milestone in one day suggests the actor’s audience has expanded well beyond the niche that first discovered him.
Opening-day details
Prahaar was allocated across 4,133 shows in India on day one and recorded an overall occupancy of 13%. Word of mouth has been strongest in urban centres, where audiences have responded to Rao’s courtroom sequences and the film’s pacing, according to trade reports.
- Day one: ₹2.5 crore net in India.
- Show count: 4,133 across the country.
- Occupancy: 13% overall.
At the same time, the film is sharing the market with Yami Gautam’s Nayyi Navelli, which keeps the competition for screens and attention live through the weekend.
Where it sits in Rao’s box-office record
The opening did not break into the top ten first-day figures of Rajkummar Rao’s career. That list is led by Stree 2 with ₹64.80 crore, followed by Bhool Chuk Maaf at ₹7.20 crore and Mr & Mrs Mahi at ₹6.85 crore. The tenth spot belongs to Roohi at ₹3.06 crore.
Shahid’s run in 2012 was itself modest by commercial standards. It became a reputation-maker rather than a box-office event. Prahaar enters a different marketplace, where a recognised actor and a socially charged subject can secure a wide release even when the opening is not among the biggest of the year. The question is whether the film can use its urban appeal to hold through the weekend.
Source: Koimoi
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