Two big-ticket Bollywood movies are set to clash at the box office this weekend. Some film trade analysts predict that Kartik Aaryan's Pati Patni Aur Woh (PPAW) is likely to make more collection than Arjun Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt's Panipat.
Panipat is a war drama, which delves into a significant chapter of history that lauds the unshakeable bravery, courage and the strong principles of the Marathas. On the other hand, Pati Patni Aur Woh is a romantic comedy film, which is a modern-day adaptation of the 1978 original movie. The makers have made a lot of changes for syncing it with the present generation youth.
Mudassar Aziz of Happy Bhag Jayegi and Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi fame has written and directed Pati Patni Aur Woh, which features Kartik Aaryan, Bhumi Pednekar and Ananya Panday in the lead roles. On the other hand, Ace filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, who has hit films like Lagaan and Jodhaa Akbar to his credit, has penned and directed Panipat, which stars Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Kriti Sanon.
In terms of budget, Panipat is much bigger than Pati Patni Aur Woh. But the latter is a notch bigger than the former movie in terms of grabbing more attention for its promos. While the latter's songs are big hits with the audience, the music of Panipat has failed to create a much-needed hype. On top of it, the Kartik Aaryan starrer is releasing in more number of cinema halls than the Arjun Kapoor starrer.
Besides, there are some other basic factors that may stop the audience from watching Panipat. The filmgoers in India would like to watch famous historical victories. Probably this is the reason, no filmmaker dared to do a film on the tale of the third Battle of Panipat, which witnessed the Marathas defeated by the Afghans and Rohillas. Viewers may not like to see the tragic failure, which may be a heartbreak to many.
Secondly, Panipat lacks excitement, mainly due to the casting of Arjun Kapoor, whose popularity has taken a beating. Many people feel he is a misfit for this film. Thirdly, Ashutosh Gowariker's last three films have failed at the box office. Viewers may not have the same kind of trust in him that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has. Lastly, they have seen films like Manikarnika, Kesari, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy in recent times.
After considering these factors, trade experts predict that Pati Patni Aur Woh and Panipat may collect a maximum of Rs 9 crore and Rs 5 crore net, respectively at the Indian box office on the first day of their release.
Sumit Kadel, film trade observer, tweeted, "My box office prediction for #Panipat & #PatiPatniAurWoh - Panipat- Friday- ₹ 4-5 cr nett, weekend- ₹ 17-20 cr nett. Lifetime biz ₹ 35-40 cr nett. Pati Patni aur woh Friday- ₹ 7-9 cr Weekend- ₹ 30-35 cr Lifetime- ₹ 75-85 cr nett."
Fenil Seta, a film critic, tweeted, "#Panipat Due to all these reasons, it seems next to impossible for Panipat to break even, due to its high costs. The opening will be around Rs. 4-5 crore, and might go to Rs. 5.50 crore. That'll be a low number for such an expensive film. #PatiPatniAurWoh The opening can be in the range of Rs. 7-8 crore which is great for this film. The film can easily cross over the Rs. 50 crore mark, if response is positive. It's costs are not huge and this will also prove beneficial."
KRK aka Kamaal R Khan tweeted, "Day1 business prediction of #PatiPatniAurWoh by 3 top trade analysts! #KRKBO 5-6Cr! #Ormax 6-7Cr! #SuperC 9.5-10.5Cr! Day1 business prediction of #Panipat by 3 top trade analysts! #KRKBO 5Cr! #Ormax 4Cr! #SuperC 7.25-8.25Cr!!"
