Prahaar box office collection day 1: Rajkummar Rao's film collects ₹2.35 crore; fails to beat Mr and Mrs Mahi, Bhool Chuk Maaf

Rajkummar Rao’s latest outing, Prahaar : The Ujjwal Nikam Story, has opened to a lukewarm response at the box office. The courtroom drama, based on the life of veteran public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and the trial that led to the hanging of Ajmal Kasab, was released in theatres on Friday. Here’s a look at the film’s opening-day performance.

According to the trade website Sacnilk, Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story opened with ₹ 2.35 crore in net collections in India, while its gross collection stood at ₹ 2.77 crore. The film had 4,133 shows across the country and recorded an average occupancy of 13% throughout the day. In terms of worldwide collections, the film grossed ₹ 0.75 Cr, pushing its total worldwide gross to ₹ 3.52 Cr.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), the film had 615 shows, with an average occupancy of 10%. Mumbai recorded 411 shows and 20% occupancy, while Ahmedabad had 283 shows with an average occupancy of 7%.

With an opening-day collection of ₹ 2.35 crore, Prahaar ranks among the lower openers of Rajkummar Rao’s career. His biggest opener remains Stree 2, which collected ₹ 51.80 crore on its opening day in 2024.

The film has surpassed the opening-day collections of Srikanth and Badhaai Do, which earned ₹ 2.25 crore and ₹ 1.65 crore, respectively. However, it failed to match the openings of several other Rajkummar's films, including Roohi ( ₹ 2.90 crore), Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video ( ₹ 5.50 crore), Mr & Mrs Mahi ( ₹ 6.75 crore) and Bhool Chuk Maaf ( ₹ 7 crore).

Hindustan Times’ Rishabh Suri gave the film three stars. In his review, he wrote, “Overall, Prahaar has a story that should have been difficult to look away from, yet it occasionally tests your patience with its own digressions. The 26/11 attack remains one of the darkest scars on our nation's memory. A film about Ujjwal Nikam had the opportunity to capture the fight for justice with the emotional weight it deserved. Instead, it gets caught between a courtroom drama and a family saga, losing some of its grip on both in the process. And yet, there is enough here to keep the film from becoming a missed opportunity altogether."

Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story is a courtroom drama based on the life and career of Ujjwal Nikam, the veteran public prosecutor. He played a key role in the prosecution of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist captured during the 26/11 terror attacks, who was later convicted and hanged.

The film stars Rajkummar Rao as Nikam. It is directed by Avinash Arun and produced by Dinesh Vijan.

Vibha Maru is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Entertainment, based in Delhi. With a decade of experience across digital and print media, she covers Bollywood, Hollywood and web shows. A self-confessed cinephile who breathes Hindi cinema, Vibha can often be found sacrificing sleep after binge-watching films and web series. Though she holds a Commerce degree, she discovered her true calling in journalism after enrolling at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC).