It's SRK versus SRK: Trade experts predict 'Jawan' to break opening day record of 'Pathaan'
Mumbai (PTI): Shah Rukh Khan's "Jawan" is expected to earn over Rs 60 crore on day one to become the highest opening Hindi film ever, a record that was earlier set by the actor's blockbuster "Pathaan", trade experts predicted on Friday.
Directed by Tamil filmmaker Atlee, "Jawan" is a father-son story that addresses social and political issues through its hero, essayed by the Bollywood star. The film released on Thursday.
The film also features Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi as well as Deepika Padukone in a special appearance.
According to trade expert Taran Adarsh, Shah Rukh will surpass his own record for the highest opening in a Hindi film with his new release.
"It is Shah Rukh Khan vs Shah Rukh Khan, this is actually a return... We expect the Hindi version of 'Jawan" to earn anywhere between Rs 65 to Rs 70 crore. It is the highest for a Hindi film. Earlier, 'Pathaan' was the highest with Rs 55 crore, and now 'Jawan'. After 'Pathaan', the expectations were multifold and 'Jawan' fulfilled them," Adarsh told PTI.
The pan-India thriller, which released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, was running to packed theatres in Delhi-NCR, Jaipur, Jammu, Mumbai and Kolkata.
"Jawan" also features Priyamani, Sanya Malhotra, Girija Oak, Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, Lehar Khan, and Aaliyah Qureshi, who are part of the group of women supporting SRK's hero.
Chennai-based trade analyst Ramesh Bala said the box office collection of "Jawan" is expected to be "outstanding" and it may emerge as one of the highest grossing Hindi films in the South market.
"We are expecting the Hindi version will do a business of about Rs 60 to Rs 65 crore, the Tamil and Telugu version should do about Rs 15 crore nett.
"The overall India collection should be Rs 95 to Rs 100 crore gross, and the overseas collection should be Rs 40 crore. This is one of the highest grossing Hindi films in the South market. It is an encouraging sign for theatre owners and audiences," Bala told PTI.
Komal Nahta also predicted the opening day numbers to be around Rs 65 crore in India though he said he will wait for the official figures.
Described by the makers as a high-octane thriller, "Jawan" outlines the story of a man set out to correct the wrongs of society.
A Red Chillies Entertainment presentation, "Jawan" is produced by Gauri Khan and co-produced by Gaurav Verma.
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Russian military hardware, spare parts for Indian military to be manufactured in India
New Delhi (PTI): Russia agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of military hardware and spare parts for maintenance of Russian-origin arms and defence equipment.
Ways to bolster overall bilateral defence cooperation figured prominently during summit talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
It has been a long-standing grievance of armed forces that the supply of critical spares and equipment from Russia takes a long time, affecting the maintenance of military systems procured from that country.
"Both sides agreed to encourage joint manufacturing in India of spare parts, components, aggregates and other products for maintenance of Russian origin arms and defence equipment under Make-in-India programme through transfer of technology," a joint statement said.
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It said both sides also agreed to set up joint ventures for meeting the needs of the Indian armed forces as well as subsequent export to mutually friendly third countries.
The joint statement said the India-Russia defence partnership is being reoriented to take up joint co-development and co-production of advanced defence technology and systems.
In their meeting on Thursday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Russian counterpart Andrey Belousov resolved to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
In the meeting, the Indian side showed keen interest in procurement of additional batches of S-400 missile systems from Moscow to bolster its combat prowess.
In October 2018, India signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning by the US that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions under the provisions of Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Three squadrons have already been delivered.
The S-400 systems played a crucial role during Operation Sindoor. India may also look at procuring the S-500 missile systems from Russia.
In the Modi-Putin talks, the two sides also agreed to continue jointly developing systems of bilateral trade settlements through the use of national currencies.
Additionally, the two sides agreed to continue their consultations on enabling the interoperability of the national payment systems, financial messaging systems, as well as central bank digital currency platforms.
Modi and Putin appreciated the ongoing intensification of the joint work on a free trade agreement on goods between India and the Eurasian Economic Union, covering sectors of mutual interest, the joint statement said.
They also directed both sides to intensify efforts in negotiations on a mutually beneficial agreement on the promotion and protection of investment, it said.
India and Russia also welcomed steps to ensure long-term supply of fertilisers to India and discussed the potential establishment of joint ventures in this area.
