Hindi
Dud weeks; Rustom brings some solace
MUMBAI: A one-woman non-army. Akira, a film banking solely on Sonakshi Sinha with action as the main theme, fails on two counts. The film does not even contain as much action as its promos showed. And, Sonakshi does not quite manage to carry the film through.
The film had no major opposition to contend with but that did not help it get a decent opening. Struggling from day one when the film collected Rs 4.6 crore, barely improving on Saturday while the expected Sunday rise also remained negligible. The film collected Rs 15.7 crore for its opening weekend.
It film faced a major drop on Monday despite a holiday in some parts of India.
*Yeh Toh Two Much Ho Gayaa fails badly.
*Island City goes unnoticed.
*Sunshine Music Tours and Travels fails to find an audience.
*A Flying Jatt succumbs to its poor treatment and fails to appeal to its target audience, children. The film had an average opening response. After showing a weak trend during its opening weekend, the film dropped drastically Monday onwards managing just Rs 33.75 crore for its first week.
*Happy Bhag Jayegi sustains with a decent second week in the absence of competition. The film adds Rs 6.3 crore for its second week taking its two-week total to Rs 23.2 crore.
*Mohenjo Daro continues its poor run at the box office. The film added just about Rs 50 lakh in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 54.3 crore.
*Rustom maintains strong collections in its third week being a universally-appealing film to watch. The film collects Rs 6.8 crore in its third week to take its three week tally to Rs 121.6 crore.
Hindi
Dhurandhar 2 trouble: BMC moves to blacklist Aditya Dhar’s B62 Studios
Blacklist move follows torch, drone and permit violations; producers lean on a legal workaround
MUMBAI: Mumbai’s civic bosses have turned up the heat on a big-ticket sequel. The BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) has moved to blacklist Aditya Dhar’s B62 Studios after a string of safety and permit breaches during the shoot in Mumbai. The message is blunt. Flout the rules, forfeit the privileges.
Officials cite repeated violations, including lit torches in a high-security heritage zone, a drone flown without clearance, location changes, a terrace used without permits, and two generator vans run without approvals. Mumbai Police stepped in during a night shoot in the Fort precinct, seizing five mashals and warning the crew to avoid flammable props. A separate case was filed at MRA Marg Police Station against location manager Rinku Rajpal Valmiki for flying a drone without permission.
The civic playbook is escalating. A-ward officials have recommended blacklisting the studio from the state’s single-window filming portal, forfeiting a Rs 25,000 deposit and imposing a Rs 1 lakh penalty. The deputy municipal commissioner has cleared the proposal for action, with notices to follow.
Yet the production’s pulse remains steady. A source close to the unit says filming continues and the March 19 release, timed for Eid, Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, remains intact. Co-producer Jio Studios can route fresh permissions through an unblacklisted applicant, a loophole that keeps cameras rolling even if named applicants are barred. The ban bites, but it does not block.
The film, starring Ranveer Singh, arrives with commercial heft. The previous instalment minted over Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, sharpening the incentive to stay on schedule. The sequel also faces competition from Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups by Geethu Mohandas, headlined by Yash.
For now, the crackdown raises compliance costs, not curtains. Permits can be rerouted, penalties paid and shoots rescheduled. In Mumbai’s film economy, the show rarely stops. It simply finds a new entry point and races to make its date.
