Kaushik Ganguly’s Dhumketu, starring Dev and Subhashree Ganguly in the lead roles, has emerged as the biggest opening day grosser of all time in Bengali cinema, with a collection of Rs 2.1 crore gross, the makers claimed on Friday.
Taking to social media on Friday, Dev’s production banner Dev Entertainment Ventures wrote, “The box office isn’t just speaking — it’s thundering for #Dhumketu! The roar is deafening, and it’s only getting louder”.
Dhumketu had been shelved for almost a decade following a fallout between its co-producers — Dev and Rana Sarkar. Shot way back in 2015, the project has been mired in delays, despite being one of Dev’s most talked-about ventures.
Over the years, the director and actor have often referred to Dhumketu as one of the finest films of Dev’s career. The film also marked a reunion of Dev and Subhashree Ganguly on screen, who have not shared the screen space since their real-life separation a decade ago.
Also featuring Rudrani Ghosh, Dulal Roy, Alokananda Roy, Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Chiranjeet Chakraborty, Dhumketu clashed with Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR-starrer War 2 and Rajinikanth’s Coolie at the box office.
The release of Dhumketu was mired in controversy as the makers initially alleged that the film was not getting enough shows because of ‘no-sharing’ policy by Yash Raj Films for War 2. Several industry bigwigs even wrote a letter to chief minister Mamata Banerjee in this regard.
However, Dhumketu raced past War 2 in West Bengal when advance bookings began. “From No Show Sharing to Early Morning Shows - #Dhumketu has definitely come a long way! Now not only the hall owners in cities but even theatre owners in the districts are competing with each other and running Early Morning Shows! I couldn’t have been happier to witness such a spectacular opening at the Box Office,” an elated Dev tweeted on Tuesday.
Dhumketu reported over 250 housefull shows on Day 1, Dev shared on social media. The film is set for a national release on August 22.