The period drama ‘Samrat Prithviraj,’ starring Akshay Kumar, has been a commercial disaster, grossing only Rs 55 crore at the domestic box office against a massive reported budget of Rs 200 crore. Given the rich production design, VFX, and era-specific costume design, it feels like it belongs in a historical picture.
Given that the picture was made on a budget of Rs. 200 crore, this is a significant setback. In a more concerning development for Akshay, many theatres, particularly in his hometown of Mumbai, have permanently cancelled the film’s screenings after no one showed up. Bachchan Pandey, Akshay’s most recent film, was also a flop.
Sonu Sood, Sanjay Dutt, and former Miss World Manushi Chhillar also star in Prithviraj, which marks her acting debut.
Even a devoted trade expert, who had projected Prithviraj’s financial success, eventually admitted that the audience had rejected it. “#SamratPrithviraj is rejected,” Taran Adarsh recently tweeted. The industry has been rocked by the high budget on the one hand and the bad outcome on the other… Fri 10.70 million, Sat 12.60 million, Sun 16.10 million, Mon 5 million, Tue 4.25 million, Wed 3.60 million, and Thu 2.80 million. #India biz total: 55.05 crores.”
