Rajkummar Rao’s gritty political thriller Maalik is proving to be a strong contender at the box office, outpacing its competition with a solid performance on Day 2. The film added Rs 4.45 crore on Saturday, taking its total domestic net collection to an impressive Rs 8.2 crore, according to early estimates by trade tracker Sacnilk.Directed by Pulkit, Maalik opened with Rs 3.75 crore on Friday and saw a noticeable jump in footfalls on Saturday, a promising sign for its weekend momentumIn sharp contrast, Shanaya Kapoor’s debut film Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan, co-starring Vikrant Massey, is struggling to find its footing. The romantic drama collected only Rs 49 lakh on Day 2, up slightly from its opening figure of Rs 30 lakh. Its two-day total stands at Rs 79 lakh, with an overall Hindi occupancy of just 12.61% on Saturday.The film has also been facing added competition from the Hollywood releases Superman and last week’s Jurassic World Rebirth, both of which took home collections of around Rs 9 crore and Rs 7 crore respectively on Saturday, thus splitting the audience.Maalik has continued to generate positive word-of-mouth and is expected to hold strong through the weekend. The film features an ensemble cast including Prosenjit Chatterjee, Manushi Chhillar, Saurabh Sachdeva, Saurabh Shukla, Anshumaan Pushkar, Swanand Kirkire, Rajendra Gupta, and Baljinder Kaur.Directed by Pulkit, ‘Maalik’ is emerging as a clear box office winner while ‘Aankhon Ki Gustaakhiyan’ struggles to make a mark in its opening weekend.
