Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi’s courtroom drama Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story closed its first week with Rs 22.94 crore in worldwide gross collections, according to trade figures reported by Sacnilk. Domestic gross accounts for Rs 20.44 crore, while overseas markets have added Rs 2.50 crore.
The first-week score
The film earned Rs 1.20 crore in India net collections on Thursday, October 22, across 3,091 shows. That is a 20% fall from Wednesday’s Rs 1.50 crore, but the fuller picture is in the daily curve.
- Friday, October 16: Rs 2.35 crore from 4,133 shows
- Saturday: Rs 3.15 crore from 3,908 shows
- Sunday: Rs 3.65 crore from 3,730 shows
- Monday: Rs 2 crore from 3,281 shows
- Tuesday: Rs 3.30 crore from 3,294 shows
- Wednesday: Rs 1.50 crore from 3,231 shows
- Thursday: Rs 1.20 crore from 3,091 shows
The seven-day India net total stands at Rs 17.15 crore. India net here is the pre-tax domestic ticket-sale figure, separating it from the gross worldwide number. Cumulative footfalls reached 780,800, with 62,147 admissions recorded on the seventh day.
A Tuesday that outperformed Saturday
The shape of the week is the story. Tuesday’s Rs 3.30 crore was higher than Saturday’s Rs 3.15 crore and only Rs 35 lakh below Sunday’s Rs 3.65 crore. That is not the standard pattern for a front-loaded release, and it explains why the first-week total looks steadier than the opening-day occupancy of 13% suggested.
That said, the overall occupancy remains modest. Hindi 2D screenings recorded 11.46% on Thursday, rising from 5.38% in the morning to 15.92% at night. The show count is also shrinking, from 4,133 on opening day to 3,091 by Thursday, which is a normal second-week pressure point for a mid-size release.
Why it matters for Hindi cinema
Directed by Avinash Arun, Prahaar is a legal drama with a real-life anchor: Rao plays public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, linked in the narrative to the 1993 Bombay bombings and the prosecution of Ajmal Kasab after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. For an audience that follows Hindi cinema history, this is less a star vehicle than a film that asks whether courtroom procedurals built on real cases can draw audiences beyond opening weekend.
The answer, after seven days, is still being written. Occupancy is thin and the week’s totals are modest, but the Tuesday bump suggests a section of the audience is finding the film mid-week, not just on the weekend. The second-weekend hold, with fewer shows, will be the more telling number.
Source: The Times of India
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