Vicky Kaushal’s historical epic Chhaava continued its dominance at the box office, collecting Rs 7.25 crore nett on its fifth Friday, March 14. However, John Abraham’s latest political thriller, The Diplomat, managed to hold its ground, opening with a respectable Rs 4 crore nett.
The Diplomat, directed by Shivam Nair, saw pre-release ticket sales in the range of Rs 2-2.5 crore nett, as per industry data-tracking portal Sacnilk. The John Abraham-starrer witnessed a steady rise in footfalls throughout the day.
The Diplomat recorded an overall occupancy rate of 20.45 per cent, as per Sacnilk. Morning shows started modestly at 7.31 per cent, but viewership surged in the afternoon (19.42 per cent) and peaked in the evening at 28.50 per cent. Night shows saw a slight dip to 26.56 per cent.
Among metropolitan areas, Chennai led with a remarkable 75.33 per cent occupancy, followed by Bhopal (29.50 per cent) and Kolkata (29 per cent).
Also starring Sadia Khateeb, Kumud Mishra, Sharib Hashmi and Revathy, The Diplomat follows Indian diplomat J.P. Singh, who works at the Indian High Commission in Pakistan. Tensions escalate when a woman named Uzma Ahmed (Sadia Khateeb) seeks refuge at the embassy.
Meanwhile, Chhaava is on course to cross the Rs 550-crore mark at the Indian box office. With Friday’s earnings the total domestic collection of the Laxman Utekar-directed historical drama stands at Rs 546.75 crore nett.
Vicky Kaushal plays the titular role in Chhaava with Rashmika Mandanna playing his wife Maharani Yesubai. The ensemble cast includes Akshaye Khanna as Aurangzeb, Ashutosh Rana as Sarsenapati Hambirao Mohite, and Divya Dutta as Rajmata Soyarabai. Based on the Marathi novel Chhava by Shivaji Sawant, the film features a musical score composed by A.R. Rahman.