Priyanka Chopra-starrer 'Jai Gangaajal' evokes lukewarm response; collects Rs 18.50 crore in opening weekend.

The Indian audience might be going gaga over Priyanka Chopra's gritty cop role in American show 'Quantico', but they barely warmed up to a similar avatar of the actress in Prakash Jha's 'Jai Gangaajal'. The action drama, which released last week, collected Rs 18.50 crore in its opening weekend with major contribution from smaller centres.

Priyanka Chopra's last solo-heroine outing, 'Mary Kom', had minted Rs 28.32 crore within three days of its release. 'Jai Gangaajal', however, surpassed the first weekend figures of a similar film, 'Mardaani', which starred Rani Mukerji as a cop.

Says trade expert Amod Mehra, `The film failed to take a good start on Friday. Its collections improved only marginally on Sunday, and it had Monday, a national holiday on account of Maha Shivratri, to its advantage. However, a lot depends on the weekday performance.`

'Zubaan', the other release of the week, struggled to find takers while Sonam Kapoor's 'Neerja' attracted cinegoers even in its third weekend. It has, so far, minted Rs 63.79 crore. `The biopic has done exceptional business overseas, collecting Rs 24.81 crore,` says trade pundit Taran Adarsh.