'Jawan' becomes biggest opening film of Hindi cinema with Rs 129 cr worldwide, surpasses 'Pathaan'
Mumbai (PTI): Shah Rukh Khan's high octane action thriller "Jawan" earned Rs 129.6 crore worldwide and Rs 75 crore in India on day one, making it the biggest opening day in the history of Hindi cinema both globally and in the country, the makers said on Friday.
The pan-India film, directed by Tamil filmmaker Atlee and also starring Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi as well as Deepika Padukone in a special appearance, released worldwide on Thursday in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.
"As Jawan says, 'Yeh toh bas shuruaat hai'. Thank you for the Massy-ive love," the production house Red Chilles Entertainment captioned the worldwide gross figures on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"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.
Trade expert Taran Adarsh, who had predicted that Shah Rukh will surpass his own record for the highest opening in a Hindi film with his new release, shared the breakdown.
"'Jawan' is sensational... Creates history. 'Jawan' hits the ball out of the stadium... Shatters all previous records... Biggest opener (Hindi films). In India, day 1 biz 65.50 crore," he wrote, comparing the nett figure of the film with the Rs 55 crore made by "Pathaan" and Rs 53.95 crore made by the Hindi version of "KGF2".
Gautam Dutta, Co-CEO, PVR INOX Limited, said the response to 'Jawan' on day one was sensational and proved the might of "mass entertainers".
"The film has released at a time when the industry is seeing its glorious days with consumers going out to cinemas in huge numbers. If the unprecedented audience response is anything to go by, we are confident that 'Jawan' would not only be the biggest film of this year, but would end up adding immense strength to the cinema ecosystem," he said in a statement.
Bhuvnesh Mendiratta, COO of Miraj Entertainment Limited cinema chains said they had a footfall of around 1.25 lakh people on day one.
"'Jawan' has made a mark at Miraj and has also emerged as a nationwide sensation, raking in over 65 crores nett in India. The strong bookings for the entire weekend further highlight its incredible popularity.
"...It has resonated strongly across the country, with the South and Eastern sectors leading the way. With outstanding reviews and the potential to run for 4-5 weeks, 'Jawan' is poised to become the biggest blockbuster in the history of Hindi cinema," he said.
The pan-India thriller, which released in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, 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.
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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Dileep case: Advocate representing survivor alleges Judge favoured actor
Thiruvanthapuram: A month after Malayalam film Actor Dileep was acquitted in the the case pertaining to abduction and rape of a famous Malayalam actress, Advocate T B Mini, the survivor's counsel in the case has accussed the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese of favouring Actor Dileep in her petition to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court, reported On Manorama.
In her petition(accessed by Onmanorama), Mini has sought contempt of court proceedings against Honey Varghese alleging that the trial court judge made derisive remarks about her, including claims that she would doze off during court proceedings and was lax in handling the actress assault case.
Mini, who described the comments as false, contemptuous and defamatory, alleged in her petition that Honey Varghese had unduly favoured Dileep, the actor and producer who was the eighth accused in the case.
In the verdict delivered in December last year, Judge Honey Varghese acquitted Dileep and three other accused while sentencing six convicts to imprisonment.
The ruling drew major uproar, while Mini had refrained from making any public remarks against the judge at the time, stating only that the verdict was disappointing, now she has levelled serious allegations against the judge as the High Court is set to begin hearing the bail pleas filed by the six convicts on February 4.
Furthermore, Mini has stated in her petition that since the very first stage of the trial, the Judge Honey Varghese passed derogatory remarks against the survivor and behaved discourteously towards the prosecution, which eventually led to the resignation of two Special Public Prosecutors. According to Mini, the undue favour shown by Honey Varghese to Dileep resulted in a serious miscarriage of justice and brought disrepute to the judicial system.
She stated in the petition that it was a regular practice of Honey Varghese to pass derogatory comments about the survivor as well as the prosecution witnesses.
Mini also alleged that on several occasions, the Special Public Prosecutor was compelled to remind the judge that such conduct was in violation of the Supreme Court’s directions.
Mini also questioned the manner in which Honey Varghese conducted the inquiry into the illegal access of the memory card containing visuals of the sexual assault.
The memory card, a vital piece of evidence kept in the custody of the Sessions Court, was unlawfully accessed and tampered with, leading to a change in its hash value.
According to the report, an examination by the State Forensic Science Laboratory found that the card had been accessed on January 9, 2018, December 13, 2018, and July 19, 2021, while it was under the safe custody of different courts.
Mini stated in the petition that the memory card was illegally accessed for nearly half an hour in July 2021 while it was in the custody of the court presided over by Honey Varghese.
After the survivor approached the High Court citing a breach of privacy, the HC directed Honey Varghese to conduct an inquiry. Mini alleged that the judge carried out only a perfunctory inquiry, in violation of the High Court’s directions.
Mini has sought legal action against Honey Varghese, stating that when a lawyer is defamed in open court through false allegations, the judge is liable to face proceedings before the High Court. She noted in the petition that although she had a very limited role in the trial as the survivor’s counsel, she regularly attended the proceedings from November 2022 onward.
