War 2, directed by Ayan Mukherji, boasts the presence of two of Indian cinema’s biggest male superstars: Bollywood’s Hrithik Roshan and Tollywood’s Jr NTR. The excited fandom was thrilled to watch the mighty pair share the screen for the first time. But after much noise and hype and a power-packed initial outing at the box office, the film is losing steam relatively fast.
The film had everything going for it over the Independence Day weekend: star cast, massive budget, and loyal fandom. War 2 opened to solid numbers on Day 1, but then started dwindling down. Grossing ₹183.25 crore net in India by Day 5, the film grossed a mere ₹8.5 crore net on Monday, thus recording a steep 76 per cent drop from Sunday’s gross. Meanwhile, Rajinikanth’s Coolie, which was released around the same time, has already crossed ₹200 crore and continues to dominate the box office, according to reports.
Adding fuel to the fire, social media is now buzzing with rumours of a rift between Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR. Fans noticed Hrithik allegedly unfollowed Jr NTR on Instagram, sparking speculation that things may not be smooth between the stars post-release. The much-forced hype around the action thriller War 2 went forward in unison with two Indian superstars: one was Bollywood’s Hrithik Roshan, and the other Tollywood’s Jr NTR. It had an ecstatic audience throughout the country, marvellous at witnessing that powerhouse combo share the screen together for the first time. With all the heavy talks about it and a glass ceiling initial collection, the film comes down with crushing speed.
War 2 was about star power, big budget, and loyal fandom-that is, everything went well for it in the initial days of release, made available during the Independence Day weekend. Numbers started to decline after the solid opening. So on Day 5, the film managed to collect 183.25 crores in India. Earning, however, dropped from 7 crore on Sunday to a mere 8.5 crore on Monday with a fall of 76 per cent. Meanwhile, Coolie of Rajinikanth has crossed the 200-crore mark while keeping box-office eyeballs alive simultaneously.
These rumours keep blowing the fire. These days, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR are the talk of social media, and the speculations started with a reported fallout between the two. Poster-wielding posse members alleging that Hrithik unfollowed Jr NTR on Instagram were interpreted as an ill omen for the smooth sailing of stars among themselves after the release. A few, to the contrary, dismissed this notion, which suggests there is no proof that Hrithik even followed him to begin with.
For now, fans can only hope the film finds its footing in the coming weeks and that the off-screen rumours do not overshadow what could have been one of the year’s most significant cinematic events.
