Shahid Kapoor and Pooja Hegde’s hindi cop thriller, Deva, has seen a dull launch at the Indian box office. The movie, produced by Rosshan Andrews, with the potential to provide a powerful impact on the viewers, but could not garner the mass viewers’ attention owing to satisfactory occupancy in urban areas.
Box Office Performance: A Slow Start
Deva collected only ₹5.5 crore on its opening day in India, falling short of industry expectations. The film recorded an overall 10.24% occupancy on its first Friday, making it one of the weakest openings for a Shahid Kapoor starrer in recent years. The movie struggled in mass circuits, which significantly affected its box office performance.
For comparison, Varun Dhawan’s Baby John—another recent action film—had a much better opening with ₹11.25 crore but still ended up as a box office disaster. Despite its strong start, Baby John failed to recover its budget, raising concerns that Deva might face a similar fate if it does not gain momentum over the weekend.
Occupancy Trends: A Weak Response from Audiences
As reported by Sacnilk trade reports, the morning and afternoon show screenings of the film achieved respective occupancies of 5.87% and 9.18% with slight uplift for the afternoon screenings. Evening shows managed 9.77%, and night shows had the highest occupancy at 16.15%. These numbers indicate that while the film saw a marginal increase in viewership later in the day, it was not enough to make a significant impact on the overall box office collections.
According to industry insiders, the first weekend Devas performance will be its life or death. If it does not take off, it may not manage to recover its production and marketing expenses.
Critical Reception: Mixed to Negative Reviews
While Shahid Kapoor’s performance has been appreciated, the overall execution of Deva has received mixed to negative reviews from both critics and audiences.
Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh described the film as “disappointing”, pointing out its inconsistent writing and pacing issues. He praised Shahid Kapoor’s performance but criticized the uneven and slow-pacedsecond half.
“Engaging in parts with some brilliantly executed sequences… but the lengthy first half and sluggish second half hurt the film. Shahid Kapoor delivers one of his best performances, but the inconsistent screenplay weakens the impact.” – Taran Adarsh
Audience reactions have also been less than favorable. A number of viewers have also compared Deva to its predecessor film, the Malayalam original Mumbai Police (2013), which was critically praised.
“One of the most disappointing movies of the year. Mumbai Police was a decent thriller, and Prithviraj’s acting made it an excellent watch. Here, Shahid Kapoor fails to match half of Prithviraj’s acting skill, making the movie look dull,” said one viewer.
Story and Cast: A Remake with Changes
Deva is an official remake of the Malayalam film Mumbai Police, which starred Prithviraj Sukumaran in the lead role. Adaptations to the Bollywood version do, however, consist of some changes to the climax and yet all the main plot is maintained.
The movie also boasts a great supporting cast, consisting of Pavail Gulati, Pravesh Rana, Kubbra Sait, Girish Kulkarni, Manish Wadhwa, and Gaurav More. Despite the quality of its cast, the screenplay and production of the film have been roundly criticized for being both shallow and for failing to achieve the scale and emotional impact of the best of that genre.
Weekend Expectations: Can Deva Recover?
As the opening-day receipts don’t live up to the expectation, the weekend box office is vital for Deva. Assuming word-of-mouth recommendation increases and the movie gets more footfalls at the cinema, it could be on the road to clearing its production budget. But if the spread of bad reviews continues, the film could have trouble beyond the first week.
Trade experts believe that the Saturday and Sunday collections will determine whether Deva can avoid a box office disaster or follow the same fate as Baby John.
Final Verdict
While Shahid Kapoor has given an impressive performance, Deva’s weak screenplay and execution have made it a tough sell at the box office. The film’s low opening day numbers, mixed reviews, and unfavorable comparisons to its Malayalam original make its future uncertain. It is left to a massive weekend effort to turn the tide for this cop thriller.
Will Deva be able to bounce back, or is it headed for a major box office flop? The next few days will decide its fate.
Key Takeaways:
- Deva collected ₹5.5 crore on Day 1, lower than expected.
- The film logged 10.24% occupancy across India on opening day.
- Mixed to negative reviews from critics and audiences.
- Comparisons with Mumbai Police (2013) highlight flaws in execution.
- Weekend box office performance will be crucial for survival.
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