Adipurush's Box Office Collections Continue To Dip; Film Faces "Huge Downward Spiral"

Adipurush's earnings at the box office continued to decline on Tuesday (20 June), with a net income of between Rs 4.75 crore and Rs 5 crore, according to Box Office India.

Day five ticket sales fell by 35 per cent compared to day four (Monday), which itself recorded a 78 per cent drop from Sunday's earnings.

Box Office India describes this downturn as a "huge downward spiral" and attributes it to the hurt sentiments of a large section of the Om Raut directorial's target audience.

Some cinemas in conservative areas reported zero collections, indicating that the film may have been removed from screens.

Adipurush's current net total at the end of day five is approximately Rs 117 crore, according to Box Office India.

The trade tracker predicts that Adipurush's box office business will come from multiplexes.

Since its release last Friday, Adipurush, a retelling of some events in the Ramayana, has been embroiled in controversy.

The film's departure from tradition in its portrayal of a revered epic has angered many, with much of the criticism focused on the street-style dialogues, particularly those spoken by Devdatta Nage as Bajrang.

In an interview with the news agency ANI, Prem Sagar, son of Ramanand Sagar, who created the iconic TV series Ramayan, said, "Manoj Muntashir is well-informed about Hinduism. I don't understand how he even conceived such dialogues in the film. It might be a misjudgement that the younger generation would like it. But you can't do this with the audience.

"Don't say it is based on Valmiki Ramayan. Give it any other name. Make it a 'fantasy' film. But if you're making Ramayan, then you cannot hurt the sentiments. People watch this with devotion."

He added, "I don't even want to watch the film. Ravan was very knowledgeable, and you are blackening the golden Lanka (sone ki Lanka) and his look with five heads up and five heads down."

PTI interviewed actress Dipika Chikhlia, who portrayed Sita in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayan.

Chikhlia emphasised that Ramayana is not meant for entertainment purposes, but is rather a source of learning.

She explained, "It is a book which is being passed down to us by generations and this is what our sanskars (values) are all about."

She also mentioned that she had not watched Adipurush yet.