Opening Weekend Box-Office Breakdown
Released worldwide on July 24, 2026, Ishqnama faced stiff competition from multi-starrer holdovers like Dhamaal 4 and global Hollywood tentpoles like The Odyssey. However, strong occupancy in mass centers across East Punjab and Delhi-NCR gave the film a solid footing:
Day 1 (Friday): Opened with ₹0.74 crore net (approx. ₹0.87 crore gross) in India, driven largely by evening and night shows in Punjab and Haryana.
Day 2 (Saturday): Showed an upward surge driven by positive word-of-mouth for Jayy Randhawa's intense portrayal and B Praak–Jaani’s musical score, collecting approximately ₹0.92 crore net.
Day 3 (Sunday): Maintained strong momentum in single screens and regional multiplexes, bringing the 3-day opening weekend domestic total to around ₹2.50+ crore gross.
Critical & Audience Reception
Adapted from the true events documented in Hind Pak Bordernama, Ishqnama traces the love story of Nimma (Jayy Randhawa), an Indian Sikh student and poet, and Naseema (Shehnaaz Gill), a Pakistani Muslim woman.
What's Working: Critics and trade analysts have highlighted Jayy Randhawa’s raw performance, the grand visual scale, and the soundtrack composed by B Praak and Jaani as the main drivers attracting audiences to theaters.
Mixed Reactions: While Shehnaaz Gill's casting generated massive pre-release buzz, audience feedback on her performance as Naseema has been divided, with some noting it struggled to match the heavy emotional weight of the narrative.
Trade Verdict:
Ishqnama has cleared its opening weekend hurdle with respectable numbers in domestic belts. Holding steady through the weekday test will be critical for the film to secure a profitable long-term theatrical run.
