One of the biggest films of the year, ‘Samrat Prithviraj’, is all set to release tomorrow, June 3. Starring Akshay Kumar in the lead role, this period flick also features Sanjay Dutt and Sonu Sood and marks the debut of Manushi Chhillar. The film is directed by Chandraprakash Dwivedi, a well known name thanks to his works like ‘Chanakya’ (1991-1992), ‘Pinjar’ (2003), etc.
‘Samrat Prithviraj’ is produced by Aditya Chopra’s Yash Raj Films. It is known for quality products and in this regard, the film looks grand, technically and visually. The budget of the film is skyhigh and it shows. As a result, it looks like a movie which can be best enjoyed on the big screen. Moreover, it is based on the life of Prithviraj Chauhan, a brave king who is fondly remembered even today.
Sadly, the film’s buzz is limited. Though the action and grandeur are topnotch, audiences have got a been-there-done-that feeling from the promos as the film looks similar to ‘Jodhaa Aakbar’ (2008), ‘Bajirao Mastani’ (2015), ‘Padmaavat’ (2018), etc. Akshay Kumar’s performance has also come under the scanner. He doesn’t seem to have put in the required hard work. The promotions have also been low-key. In the last one week, however, the promotional activities picked up big time. Akshay Kumar, Manushi Chhillar and Chandraprakesh Dwivedi travelled to Somnath and Varanasi and even showed the film to Home Minister of India, Amit Shah. Today, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath will watch ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ at a special screening in Lucknow.
Yet, the buzz remains low. As a result, it’s difficult to say whether it’ll have an opening of Rs. 10 crore plus. Even if it does, its target is to break the day 1 record of the recent hit, ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2’. The Kartik Aaryan starrer had collected Rs. 13.50 crore on day one and it remains to be seen if ‘Samrat Prithviraj’ can cross the number.
‘Samrat Prithviraj’ is not a solo release. ‘Major’, starring Adivi Sesh, is a bi-lingual and based on the life of 26/11 hero Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan. This film, too, has limited hype but the makers have adopted a smart marketing strategy. Since last week, they have held pre-release screenings in different cities. The response to these screenings has been very positive and it has aroused curiosity. Hence, it’ll start low but can pick up through a good word of mouth.
The third release is the Tamil film ‘Vikram’, which will be dubbed in Hindi. It has an enviable star cast, comprising Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The trailer is quite creative and massy. Yet, the excitement is just not there among the Hindi audiences. As a result, it’ll have a disastrous opening.
