One of the year’s most awaited Bollywood films, Jigra, directed by Vasan Bala and featuring Alia Bhatt and Vedang Raina, was released worldwide on Friday. This marks Alia’s first Bollywood project since Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023), leading to heightened excitement, including a dubbed Telugu version.
The release timing of Jigra raises questions, especially since TJ Gnanavel’s Tamil film Vettaiyan, featuring a stellar cast including Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, and Manju Warrier, premiered just a day earlier.With such star power, Vettaiyan is likely to dominate the box office for the next few days and possibly weeks. Additionally, early reports indicate that Jigra may also struggle against the Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri film Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, which could further impact its performance.
According to a report in Indian Express, By 5 PM on Friday, Jigra had reported an India nett collection of Rs 1.61 crore, with occupancy rates of 10.48 percent in the Hindi market and 8.18% in the Telugu market. In comparison, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video grossed Rs 1.76 crore, while Vettaiyan earned Rs 8.58 crore by the same time. However, Jigra’s opening day figures are anticipated to improve as the day progresses, especially considering the solid turnout during morning screenings despite being a weekday and facing tough competition.
It’s worth noting that on their release day, the top five highest-grossing Hindi films of 2024—Stree 2, Fighter, Shaitaan, Crew, and Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya—recorded India nett collections of Rs 51.8 crore, Rs 22.5 crore, Rs 14.75 crore, Rs 9.25 crore, and Rs 6.7 crore, respectively.
Alia Bhatt was last seen in the Hollywood spy action thriller Heart of Stone (2023), alongside Gal Gadot and Jamie Dornan. Jigra marks Vedang Raina’s second film after his debut in Zoya Akhtar’s teen musical comedy The Archies (2023). Vasan Bala’s previous directorial project was Monica, O My Darling (2022).