Kamal Haasan’s highly anticipated ‘Indian 2’ made its grand entry into theaters on Friday, July 12th, captivating audiences in both Hindi and Telugu. The Kollywood blockbuster, titled ‘Hindustani 2’ in Hindi and ‘Bharateeyudu 2’ in Telugu, is the much-awaited sequel to the 1996 classic ‘Indian.’
On its opening day, ‘Indian 2’ garnered a remarkable ₹26 crore net at the domestic box office, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. The film, a joint production of Lyca Productions and Red Giant Movies, witnessed a strong 55.62 percent Tamil occupancy on its release day.
Diving deeper into the Tamil (2D) occupancy numbers, Trichy city led the pack with a remarkable 81 percent occupancy, followed closely by Chennai and Coimbatore, boasting 68.5 percent and 68.25 percent occupancy respectively.
In the film, Kamal Hassan reprises his role as Senapathy, an aging freedom fighter. Armed with the ancient Indian martial art practice of ‘Varma kalai,’ the protagonist is on a mission to combat corruption. ‘Indian 2’ boasts a star-studded cast, including Siddharth, Rakul Preet Singh, S J Suryah, and Bobby Simha alongside the iconic Kamal Hassan. The film also features Gulshan Grover, the late Nedumudi Venu, Kajal Aggarwal, and Priya Bhavani Shankar.
The reunion of industry giants Kamal Haasan and director S Shankar marks a significant event for Tamil cinema. Reportedly made on a budget of ₹150 crore, the film showcases a collaborative effort on the script, with writers B Jeyamohan, Kabilan Vairamuthu, and Lakshmi Saravana Kumar contributing their expertise.
Initial response to ‘Indian 2’ has been mixed. While the film achieved milestones like becoming the 23rd Tamil film to enter the $1 million club in North America, as highlighted by film trade analyst Ramesh Bala on X (formerly Twitter), and topping the box office in UAE, Singapore, and Malaysia, it has also received some criticism. Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh expressed his disappointment in a post on X, stating, “Interesting ideas don’t always make for interesting films… Archaic writing is the biggest culprit here… Director #Shankar misses a golden opportunity… Even #KamalHaasan’s wonderful act cannot salvage it. #Hindustani2Review #Indian2.”
Despite the mixed response, ‘Indian 2’ remains a powerful cinematic force, offering a compelling story with a stellar cast. The film’s performance at the box office and its impact on the global stage will be closely monitored in the days to come.
