Who is the last man standing

It was battle weekend as two heavy-weights — Akshay and Hrithik — clashed at the BO with their respective films, Rustom and Mohenjo Daro. While the former recreated the historic K.M. Nanavati murder trial, the latter brought to life a love story set in 2016 BC in the Indus Valley Civilisation.

Going into release with heavy promotions, the two movies set expectations high. However, with the verdicts in, it seems Rustom has gained a clear lead with a flying start that earned it Rs 14.11 cr on the opening day. This took Akshay’s film to the fourth position in the list of highest opening grosses this year. Meanwhile, Hrithik’s film suffered a slow start and netted just around Rs 8.87 cr on Friday. Talking about the leading actors, Mohenjo Daro marks Hrithik’s return after a long while. His last release was Bang Bang in 2014. Akshay on the other hand, has already delivered two hits in Airlift and Housefull 3 this year and had immense audience faith.

Mohenjo Daro’s slow start came as a surprise as Hrithik’s last release had a huge Day 1 collection, making it to the top 5 movie openings of all time.

This drop could be attributed to the lack of buzz for the film with no smart promotional activities in the lead-up. There was no stopping Rustom however, as the film managed to touch the Rs 50 cr mark over the weekend, while Mohenjo Daro languished around Rs 30 cr.

What worked for Rustom is the gripping story replete with riveting insights into the much-publicised murder trial of the 60s. It was backed by Akshay’s earnest performance, which left an impact. As for Mohenjo Daro, it didn’t appeal to the masses despite Hrithik’s genuine efforts in the acting department. There are good things to take from this film, but as a whole it doesn’t work. Also, the VFX of the film wasn’t up to the mark, making it a downer. Bottom-line, while Rustom will continue to forge ahead, the future seems bleak for Mohenjo Daro, which might bow out of the race soon.