Tevar opens to disappointing numbers, fails to connect with the 'Hindi heartland'

The January jinx seems to have struck Bollywood again. 'Tevar', the first release of the year, has managed to collect just about Rs 21 crore over the weekend. This is a setback for lead actress Sonakshi Sinha as her last two outings - 'Lingaa' and 'Action Jackson' - had fizzled at the box office. Her co-star Arjun Kapoor, too, had seen a better opening with his last film, '2 States', at Rs 35 crore.

The silver lining for exhibitors, however, is that the Aamir Khan-starrer 'pk' has crossed the Rs 300-crore mark. Exhibitor Rajesh Thadani says, "Tevar's business is not up to the mark considering its budget. Besides, its word-of-mouth publicity is not good."

Trade analyst Amod Mehra says the film had a weak start on Friday and the collections dropped on Saturday. "Though Sunday was promising, the overall weekend business was below expectation. It will affect Arjun who had, so far, had a good run at the box office. But then his acting has been appreciated," he adds.


Vishal Anand of Fun Cinemas says the Tevar has not been accepted in most of the Hindi heartland either. "So, it is correct to say that the January jinx continues. We are hoping Akshay Kumar's 'Baby' will salvage the box office," he says.

Four films are releasing this week - 'Alone', 'Crazy Kukkad Family', 'MSG: Messenger of God' and 'Sharafat Gayi Tel Lene'. "They are all small films and not much is expected of them in terms of numbers," Anand asserts.