Bazaar Box Office Collection: It is the Best Opening for Saif Ali Khan in Recent Times

Gauravv K Chawla's Bazaar, which received mixed reviews from the critics, has opened to average box-office takings. Starring Saif Ali Khan, Radhika Apte, Chitrangada Singh and debutant Rohan Mehra, the film is based on the story of Mumbai's city life, and pushes you into the semi-dark world of its stockbrokers.

As per Box Office India report, the film has raked in around Rs 2.50-2.75 crore at the box office on its first day. However, it's got lukewarm response in the North with Delhi and UP picking up just 50 lakh and East Punjab 20 lakh nett.

The reports suggests that the film is the best opening for Saif Ali Khan in recent times with his other films being around the 1 crore nett mark.

Meanwhile, CNN-News18 film critic Rajeev Masand gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5. In his review of Bazaar, he wrote, "A big problem is that the film is entirely predictable. The twists can be spotted from a mile away, and the plotting is strictly by-the-numbers. There are way too many songs that stretch the running time, and the filmmakers are unable to bring that tension needed to convey the anxiety of fluctuating stock prices."

Bazaar is expected to get tough competition from last week's release Badhaai Ho. Amit Sharma's directorial, starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Sanya Malhotra and Neena Gupta, has been doing exceptionally well at the box office and its collections have now reached Rs. 69.50 crore.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted: "#BadhaaiHo remains unaffected by the plethora of new releases... Remains the first choice of moviegoers... North circuits are contributing enormously to its super score... Expected to grow on second Sat and Sun... (Week 2) Fri 3.40 cr. Total: ₹ 69.50 cr. India biz."

Badhaai Ho focuses on issues rarely discussed—the sex lives of couples with grown-up children and the discomfort that Indians have in coming to terms with their parents’ sex lives.

Rajeev Masand gave the film 3.5 stars. Praising Ayushmann, he wrote, “It’s the senior actors who take centrestage, but Ayushmann Khurrana does a bang-on job of playing yet another fellow trapped in a ‘mess’ not of his own making. He’s convincing at every stage, as his Nakul alternates between anger, anxiety, and confusion.”

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