PadMan’s box office journey starts tomorrow.
Akshay Kumar’s upcoming social drama PadMan is all set to hit the theaters on February 9. From the moment the film’s trailer hit the internet, PadMan has become one of the most awaited films of 2018. And considering Akshay Kumar’s terrific track record, the content-driven storyline and Twinkle Khanna’s backing, why not so? Its release date may have been postponed by Akshay Kumar to make way for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, but that doesn’t mean the buzz around the film has died down even one bit.
Based on the real-life story of Coimbatore based social entrepreneur Aunachalam Muruganantham, PadMan explores how a man strived to make cheap and affordable sanitary pads available to women. Yes, PadMan does talk about a topic that is considered to be a ‘taboo’ in most parts of the country. So, will an average moviegoer be up to spend money on watching the film in a theater?
In a conversation with indianexpress.com, Film business and trade analyst Girish Johar brings to mind Akshay’s latest outing Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. He says, “The box office collection of TEPK (Rs 134.22 crore) stands proof to the fact that if content is carried out with a smart and subtle narrative, the masses are not only able to connect with it but they also give out positive reviews. And as far as PadMan is concerned, its trailer has appealed to the audience and they are looking forward to watching the movie.” Johar also adds that R Balki is one such director who knows how to deal with social topics like these and he is expected to do a fine job with Akshay Kumar’s PadMan as well.
Talking about the opening collection of PadMan, Johar says that the film is eyeing a collection of Rs 13-Rs 14 crore. While in the opening weekend, it could garner as much as Rs 50 crore. In terms of the number of screens, PadMan has acquired more than 2000 screens, a dominant share in the market.
But let’s also not forget the extreme popularity of the January 25 release Padmaavat among cinephiles. Will PadMan face competition from the same? Johar remarked that Padmaavat has already had a run of two weeks by now, audiences are now looking for fresh content in cinemas and PadMan being the solo release for Bollywood this week could really work in Akshay’s favour. He also adds that meaningful and realistic films like PadMan have always had a different appeal and PadMan’s innovative promotions have been pretty much successful in spreading word about the film among audiences.