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Adipurush box office report: A major Monday crash and many controversies

The big-budget movie has triggered protests and calls for ban amid heavy criticism over special effects and dialogues

Published: Tue 20 Jun 2023, 6:30 PM

Updated: Tue 20 Jun 2023, 6:50 PM

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Bollywood movie Adipurush, which is a retelling of the epic Ramayana, has run into one controversy after another since its release on June 16. The film opened to mixed reviews and, according to the makers, it collected Rs 3.4 billion at the global box office in three days. Despite earning admiration of a section of fans, it has been panned by movie-goers and critics alike.

Adipurush features southern superstar Prabhas and Bollywood actors Kriti Sanon and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles. Many have highlighted what they have called poor VFX in the movie. But it wasn’t just the visual effects of Adipurush which drew criticism. The film has also sparked controversy over its dialogues. Its Hindi dialogue writer, Manoj Muntashir Shukla, even received death threats — with the makers agreeing to alter certain dialogues. Meanwhile, Nepal's Kathmandu and Pokhara have banned all Indian films condemning “objectionable” dialogues in Adipurush.

In another piece of bad news for the makers in the beginning of the week, Adipurush crashed at the box office on Monday, recording a 78% drop in its earnings amid the controversy, reported Box Office India.

Box office

According to T-Series, which co-produced the film, Adipurush — which released on June 16 — collected Rs 1.40 billion worldwide on the first day and earned Rs 3.4 billion at the global box office over the first three days.

But on Monday, Adipurush “collapsed at the box office”, stated Indian trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Protests

Protests have erupted against Adipurush in different parts of India, including Lucknow, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Palghar. Many have called for its boycott over its portrayal of religious figures. An association of cinema workers in India has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding that the movie be banned.

Death threat

Adipurush Hindi dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir Shukla has claimed that he received death threats for parts of dialogues — which some have called pedestrian — that deities were heard speaking in the movie, reported news agency PTI. The police have enhanced patrolling near his office in Mumbai.

Nepal ban

Nepal’s capital Kathmandu and tourism hotspot Pokhara have banned the screening of all Indian films amid a controversy over dialogues in Adipurush. Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah has said no Hindi film will be allowed to run in Kathmandu Metropolitan City until the dialogue "Janaki is a daughter of India" was removed not just in Nepal but also in India, according to an NDTV report. Sita, also referred to as Janaki, is believed by many to have been born in Janakpur in southeast Nepal, it added.

VFX

Adipurush has also come under fire because of its VFX, which, according to many, was not up to the mark. Some fans have even compared Adipurush’s visual effects to video game graphics and said that it could have been better.

Veterans react

Sunil Lahri, who appeared as Lakshman in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana in the late 1980s, has said in a video on Instagram, “You can't play with your culture in the name of doing something different, especially those who are our own. The characters are not defined. The audience doesn't find any emotional attachment to the scenes. In fact, the dialogues are also very (poor)”. The actor shared his review on Monday.



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