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Brahmastra: Hit or flop, toss a coin?

Brahmastra is an original movie made at a cost of Rs 400 crore, featuring Telugu actor Nagarjuna to Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan.

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Brahmastra

By Sakshi Verma

Indian moviegoers are all set to witness the release of the biggest Bollywood film of the decade this Friday. After eight years of hard work, the makers of Brahmastra are all set to present it to the world.

Apart from Gangubai Kathiawadi (released in January), no Bollywood film has been able to impress both the critics and the audience, can Brahmastra turn the table? If the advance booking and hype for the film is to be considered, then the film seems like a hit already. But it won’t be that easy for Ayan Mukherjee directored film.

Brahmastra will not only have to fight the boycott trends but it will also have to deal with the current Indian prejudices. The film stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, who are still under scrutiny for being star kids. With trolls having elephantine memory, any old statement of the actors is fairgame for attack and hyper outrage.

The film is produced by Karan Johar, who’s a favoured target of trolls and boycotts. Apart from that, the Indian audience seems to have grown tired of Bollywood. Viewers are done with the same regressive, action-masala formula peddled over and over by Bollywood. And their arrogance of being the big daddy of the Indian entertainment industry has led to the death of innovation.

Hindi filmmakers are not even pretending to note the change in the audiences’ tastes. Otherwise films like Heropanti 2, Ek Villain Returns, Ligers and several others shouldn’t have seen the light of day. Nor is it that they didn’t venture from good concepts like female foeticide in Jayeshbhai Jordaar and Infidelity in Jug Jugg Jiyo but their staid screenplay and poor portrayal didn’t help the audience.

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Despite all the baggage, critics are keeping their fingers crossed for Brahmastra. This is also because the film caters to all the recent Twitter trends like Bollywood vs South, Outsiders vs Nepotism, Hinduism, and Ban Remakes.

Brahmastra is an original movie made at a cost of Rs 400 crore, featuring Telugu actor Nagarjuna to Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan. The film is said to be inspired by Indian mythology and Hindu culture.

Still, if people somehow can’t stomach Brahmastra, then who’s to get the stick? Awakening to such a possibility, Ranbir Kapoor, who returned to the screen after four years with YRF’s Shamshera dud, noted that only the script should be held responsible for the success or the failure of a film.

At the end of the day, a film is its script. If the audience is not impressed with what they watch, it should be because of its plot and not due to actors’ personal opinion and lifestyle choices. But now that several Bollywood films have failed to even mark a blip at the box office, it will be interesting to see if Ayan Mukherjee’s Brahmastra can pull it off. It is releasing this Friday, September 9 in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi. So much for fail-proofing it. 

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Entertainment

Border 2 box office collection day 12 crosses Rs 286 crore, eyes Rs 300 crore milestone

Border 2 box office collection reaches Rs 286.75 crore after 12 days, putting the Sunny Deol-led film close to the Rs 300 crore milestone.

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Sunny Deol in Border 2

Sunny Deol’s Border 2 continues its impressive run at the domestic box office, edging closer to the Rs 300 crore mark by the end of its second week. The war drama, which hit theatres on January 23, has shown consistent collections since its release.

On its second Tuesday, the film earned an estimated Rs 5.75 crore, taking its total earnings to Rs 286.75 crore after 12 days.

Border 2 box office performance so far

The film matched its Monday earnings on February 3, adding Rs 5.75 crore to its tally. With this, Border 2 has managed to hold firm on weekdays, a sign of sustained audience interest.

The film delivered a robust opening week, collecting Rs 224.25 crore, supported by the extended Republic Day holiday period.

Second weekend boosts collections

The second weekend provided another lift to the film’s box office numbers. Friday saw collections of Rs 10.75 crore, followed by Rs 17.75 crore on Saturday. Sunday emerged as the strongest day of the weekend, contributing Rs 22.5 crore to the total.

Monday, which coincided with Republic Day, turned out to be the film’s highest single-day performer so far, with earnings touching Rs 59 crore.

With its current pace, Border 2 has already surpassed the opening weekend figures of Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar.

Border 2 review

In a review, film critic Saibal Chatterjee noted that Border 2 succeeds in highlighting the courage of soldiers while also touching upon their emotional vulnerabilities. The film explores themes of separation, loss, fear, and hope, presenting moments of heroism amid personal struggles.

About the film

Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 features an ensemble cast including Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Dhawan, and Ahan Shetty. Set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the film is positioned as a spiritual successor to the 1997 classic Border.

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Why Dhurandhar on Netflix runs shorter than its original theatrical cut

Dhurandhar’s Netflix release sparked confusion over its shorter runtime. The difference is linked to muted dialogue and an updated theatrical cut.

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Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar has finally made its much-awaited debut on Netflix, just days after the Ranveer Singh-starrer completed a blockbuster theatrical run across India. While the film crossed Rs 1,000 crore domestically and went past Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, its OTT release has triggered confusion and criticism over its shorter runtime.

Several viewers took to social media early Friday, claiming that a “censored” version of Dhurandhar was streaming on Netflix. The runtime displayed on the platform is 3 hours and 25 minutes, nearly nine minutes shorter than the film’s originally reported duration of 3 hours and 34 minutes.

What caused the runtime difference

The confusion stems from changes made after the film’s initial theatrical release. According to the revised censor certificate, Dhurandhar now has an approved runtime of 3 hours 28 minutes and 56 seconds. This updated version replaced the earlier cut in cinemas starting January 1.

The revision followed directions to mute two specific words and one dialogue referring to the Baloch community. These changes were implemented without removing scenes, resulting in a marginally shorter runtime.

What viewers noticed on Netflix

Audiences streaming the film on Netflix observed muted portions during a scene involving Sanjay Dutt’s character, SP Chaudhary Aslam. In the original version, the dialogue included a direct reference to a former Baloch police partner. In the revised cut now available on Netflix, those references are muted, while English subtitles offer a generalised translation without naming the community.

Some viewers also pointed out that the film appears to play slightly faster on the platform, contributing to the perception that content had been trimmed.

Is Netflix streaming a censored cut

Industry insiders have clarified that Netflix is carrying the final theatrical version approved by the authorities. As an OTT distributor, the platform uploads films exactly as provided by the producers. The version streaming online is the same revised cut that has been screening in theatres since January.

Importantly, the film’s intense and graphic depiction of violence remains unchanged in the OTT version.

In short, Dhurandhar on Netflix is not a specially edited or censored cut for streaming. It is the updated theatrical version, adjusted for muted dialogue and presented with a slightly faster frame rate.

Following its OTT release, audiences can now look ahead to the sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, scheduled for release on March 19, 2026.

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Border 2 box office collection day 1 crosses Rs 30 crore

Border 2 opens to Rs 30 crore on day one, becoming the biggest opener for Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh.

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Sunny Deol in Border 2

Border 2 has made an impressive start at the Indian box office, collecting Rs 30 crore on its opening day. The war drama, headlined by Sunny Deol along with Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh, opened to largely positive audience and critical response.

According to industry tracking data, the film recorded an overall occupancy of 32.1 per cent on day one. Night shows contributed the highest footfall, indicating strong word-of-mouth towards the end of the day.

Strong show count and urban traction

Border 2 was screened in nearly 6,000 shows across the country on its opening day. Major centres reported heavy traction, with over 1,000 shows in Mumbai and more than 1,500 shows across the Delhi-NCR region. Trade sources noted that urban circuits played a key role in pushing the film past the Rs 30 crore mark.

The opening performance places Border 2 ahead of Dhurandhar, which collected Rs 28 crore on its first day despite having a similar nationwide show count. Dhurandhar later saw consistent growth over its opening weekend, a trend that Border 2 is also expected to follow.

Career-best opening for key cast members

Border 2 has emerged as the biggest opening-day film in the careers of Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh. For Varun Dhawan, the film marks his first box office success since Bhediya in 2023. Ahan Shetty, who made his debut with Tadap in 2021, has registered his first theatrical hit with the war drama.

For Sunny Deol, however, Border 2 does not surpass the opening records of Gadar 2, which remains his highest-grossing film with a worldwide collection of Rs 686 crore.

Dhurandhar sees slowdown after Border 2 release

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar’s box office run has slowed following the release of Border 2. The film reportedly earned under Rs 1 crore for the first time in nearly 50 days, reflecting the impact of the new release.

Directed by Anurag Singh and produced by JP Dutta and Nidhi Dutta, Border 2 also features Sonam Bajwa and Mona Singh in prominent roles.

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