For a film that asks audiences to sit through a courtroom reconstruction of the Ujjwal Nikam-Ajmal Kasab legal chapter, the first test is whether it can hold attention beyond opening day. Early numbers for Prahaar – The Ujjwal Nikam Story suggest it may be finding its audience.
Actor Sikandar Kher, who plays defence lawyer Abbas Kazmi, publicly called Rajkummar Rao’s lead performance a “career defining” one and said he had “front row seats” to it. Kher plays a lawyer who took on a case against public sentiment, a part he described as far from easy.
Praise from inside the courtroom
Kher’s note, shared on social media, was unusually detailed. He thanked director Avinash Arun for being “a pillar of strength” and credited producer Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films for the opportunity. He also singled out Lalit Prabhakar, who portrays Ajmal Kasab, writing that he was “completely floored” by the performance.
The strongest praise was reserved for Rao. Kher wrote that with a co-actor like Rao, “the job becomes enjoyable and then the magic happens.” The note frames Rao’s work as more than a strong performance: it is, in Kher’s words, career defining.
The Saturday numbers
Box office figures cited from Sacnilk give the praise a commercial echo:
- Saturday, October 17: ₹3.15 crore India net
- Opening Friday: ₹2.35 crore India net
- Day-on-day growth: approximately 34%
- Two-day India net: ₹5.50 crore
- Worldwide gross: ₹7.98 crore
The first Saturday improvement matters because Saturday is usually when word of mouth begins to show. A 34% jump after a modest opening day is not a breakout, but it is the direction a dialogue-driven courtroom film needs.
Why this matters
Courtroom dramas live or die by their performances and credibility. A public endorsement from a scene partner carries weight because it signals that the cast believes the film, which matters for a genre dependent on authenticity. For readers who follow Hindi cinema closely, the combination of a restrained court genre and a producer like Maddock Films, better known for broader entertainments, is worth tracking.
The next test is whether the film can hold on weekdays and convert co-star praise into sustained ticket sales.
Source: The Times of India
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