'Azaad' box office collection day 1: Film opens to low numbers; Lags almost a crore behind Kangana's 'Emergency'

Director Abhishek Kapoor's latest period drama, Azaad, has made a lacklustre debut at the box office, earning just Rs 1.5 crore on its opening day. The film, which was heavily marketed as the acting debut for Aaman Devgan, nephew of Ajay Devgn, and Rasha Thadani, daughter of Raveena Tandon, struggled to attract audiences, with occupancy rates plummeting to 5% for morning shows and only reaching 26% for evening screenings.

Kapoor, known for launching successful newcomers like Sushant Singh Rajput in Kai Po Che and Sara Ali Khan in Kedarnath, faces a challenging road ahead with Azaad. Both previous films became significant hits, with Kai Po Che grossing Rs 50 crore domestically and Kedarnath earning Rs 66 crore. In stark contrast, Azaad has opened to the director's lowest-ever numbers.

Despite extensive promotional efforts, including appearances by the young actors at various events and support from their famous families, the film's performance has been disappointing. Rasha Thadani, a favourite among paparazzi even before her debut, could not draw sufficient interest from the audience.

The film's struggles are compounded by competition from Kangana Ranaut's Emergency, which debuted slightly better at Rs 2.5 crore.

Despite the lukewarm reception, Emergency marks a significant milestone for Ranaut, becoming her biggest Hindi opener since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her previous film, Tejas, debuted with Rs 1.25 crore, but Emergency has already outperformed that figure, surpassing expectations set by industry analysts.

Reviews

Azaad opened to mixed reactions from moviegoers, with some backing the new entrants for their performance. Others also found the script and the pacing of the movie to be lacklustre. 

"Azaad struggles to captivate due to a lacklustre first half, a weak script, and the absence of a romantic angle," a user noted. 

"When was the last time you got pleasantly surprised by a film? I just did! #Azaad is superb! To write & weave a film around an animal is a daunting task & #abhishekkapoor & his entire team hv made a riveting, heartfelt film here.Give it a chance.The debutants are superb too," a second user said. 

"A period drama with promising performances but a weak screenplay and lackluster direction. A deep emotional journey of a horse falls flat due to inconsistent storytelling," a third user wrote. 

"#RashaThadani, #AamanDevgan's raw, expressive performance shines in #AbhishekKapoor’s directorial. After a long gap a film based on the bonding of man & animal has been made. Kudos to director Abhishek Kapoor delivering a film that has the right amounts of high-octane sequences and emotional moments. #UyiAmma is catchy & Rasha shines high in this song by getting perfect expressions & dance moves," yet another user said.