How Is Ustaad Performing Despite Dhurandhar 2’s Wave?

Moviegoers across the country have been eagerly waiting for March 19 from the past couple of months because Bollywood’s most awaited sequel Dhurandhar 2 is releasing amid tremendous hype and hoopla. Also, Telugu audiences are evenly excited because Pawan Kalyan’s long delayed cop thriller Ustaad Bhagat Singh also locked the same date in the last minute. 

Riding on Pawan Kalyan’s massive fan following and strong box office charisma, Ustaad Bhagat Singh released with gpod buzz. Though the film managed mixed verdict from neutral audience and critics alike after the premieres, the occupancies for evening and night shows are very decent from trade’s perspective. 

Even though Dhurandhar 2 is creating a wild storm at the ticket windows with its Hindi version all over the country including Telugu states, Ustaad Bhagat Singh managed to register impressive footfalls on the opening day despite mixed reports and relatively low hype compared to Pawan Kalyan’s previous outings. Reports suggest that the first day numbers might be pretty good due to the solid walk-ins in mass centers. 

Though the Telugu version of Dhurandhar 2 got delayed, the Hindi version is witnessing a phenomenal response in both Andhra and Telangana. Yet, Ustaad Bhagat Singh is performing decently in all major territories. As there is no competition from other direct Telugu films, the Harish Shankar directional is likely to perform well during the first weekend taking advantage of the Ramzan holiday. 

Pawan Kalyan’s standalone performance and a few elevation scenes in the second half are the only saving grace for this film. Harish Shankar’s formulaic narration is backed by a few trademark punch dialogues that helped the film to some extent. These elements might save the film during the first weekend.  

As the word of mouth is not entirely disappointing, Ustaad Bhagat Singh might see good footfalls in the next three days and recoup majority of its investment. The real test starts from next Monday.