Rajkummar Rao’s Prahaar – The Ujjwal Nikam Story is now collecting in lakhs, not crores. On Thursday, November 5 — day 21 of its theatrical run — the courtroom drama earned Rs 1 lakh net in India, a 93.8% single-day drop from Wednesday. With only 17 shows nationwide and occupancy of 23%, the release is close to leaving cinemas.
The arc of a front-loaded run
The opening week remains the film’s strongest phase. Between days one and seven it collected Rs 17.15 crore net in India, or Rs 20.44 crore gross — a solid opening for a serious legal drama built around real criminal trials.
After that came a fast retreat. Week two added Rs 4.50 crore net, a 73.8% decline from the opening week. Week three added Rs 2.17 crore net, down another 51.8% from week two. Day 21’s Rs 1 lakh is the logical endpoint of that curve.
Where the totals stand
After 21 days, the India net total is Rs 23.82 crore. Domestic gross stands at Rs 28.24 crore, and worldwide gross has reached Rs 30.83 crore. Overseas territories contribute Rs 3.03 crore — 9.8% of global revenue — while India accounts for 90.2%.
What the run says
The shape is familiar for event-led courtroom dramas: a concentrated opening burst followed by steep weekly erosion. The subject — public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam’s role in the 1993 Bombay blasts and the 2008 Mumbai train attacks — can generate immediate curiosity, and the cast of Rao, Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikandar Kher gives the film an initial pull. But that attention has not been converted into a sustained theatrical audience.
- Opening week: Rs 17.15 crore net; Rs 20.44 crore gross
- Second week: Rs 4.50 crore net; 73.8% decline
- Third week: Rs 2.17 crore net; 51.8% decline
- Day 21: Rs 1 lakh net; 17 shows; 23% occupancy
Across 21 days, the film has recorded 37,714 shows. That wide opening footprint, followed by a near-total loss of screens by the third week, is the clearest measure of demand: the first seven days delivered 72% of the total India net. For readers tracking Hindi cinema’s box office as a record, the issue is not the opening — it is the absence of a second wave.
Source: The Times of India
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