Gandhi Godse EK Yudh, Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Film Floored by Pathaan
Rajkumar Santoshi’s comeback directorial Gandhi Godse EK Yudh has had a very rocky start at the box office. The film was trounced by SRK’s action thriller Pathaan at the ticket windows. Inspite of being released on the Republic Day (public holiday) the historical drama managed a measly 75 lakh plus on day 1.
The motion picture ‘Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh’ is a fictional story showing what if Mahatma Gandhi had survived the assassination attempt by Nathuram Godse. The film follows the two characters as they meet and the ensuing tussle between their ideologies. The film stars Deepak Antani and Chinmay Mandlekar, and also marks the debut of the director’s daughter Tanisha Santoshi.
The film was already at a disadvantaged start as it clashed with Pathaan, the mega actioner from YRF. Due to Pathaan taking up maximum screens nationwide, ‘Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh’ released only in 300 screens across India. But the film saw an extremely minimal footfall by registering just 18% occupancy on its release day. In comparison, Pathaan managed over 60% occupancy on the opening day in nearly 5000 screens. The Shah Rukh film broke all records in its first two days, leading to many halls & multiplexes increasing shows and screens, which is not in favour of ‘Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh’.
The early trends do not look good for the Santoshi film. With the current situation going, the film might struggle to even reach the Rs 10-crore mark in its lifetime which is not even surprising seeing the genre and lack of star power in the film. Middling reviews and a non-existent word of mouth have not helped the film’s cause either. It looks like the film may just have to wait a little longer to find its audience after a few weeks when it releases on OTT.