Siddhant Chaturvedi’s Yudhra Plunges at Box Office After Solid Start—What Went Wrong?
Ravi Udyawar’s action thriller Yudhra, starring Siddhant Chaturvedi, Malavika Mohanan, and Raghav Juyal, had a strong start at the box office thanks to National Cinema Day’s ₹99 ticket pricing. The film, which was the solo Bollywood release last week, opened with an impressive ₹4.5 crore on its first Friday. However, it struggled to sustain that momentum throughout the weekend, and its box office collection dropped significantly by Monday.
According to reports by Sacnilk, Yudhra earned just ₹24 lakh on its first Monday, marking a sharp decline from its Sunday collection of ₹2.35 crore. The film’s Saturday earnings were ₹1.75 crore, showing a steady downward trend after its Friday peak. The drastic drop in collections on Monday indicates that the film is struggling to hold audience interest.
National Cinema Day Boost Fades
Yudhra greatly benefited from National Cinema Day, where tickets were priced at just ₹99. This promotional strategy helped the film draw a large audience on its opening day, leading to strong initial earnings. However, the interest waned as the weekend progressed. The most significant fall came on Saturday, highlighting that the film's strong opening was more a result of discounted tickets than sustained interest.
Competing Re-Releases
Adding to Yudhra’s struggles were re-releases of popular old Bollywood films, which continued to perform well at the box office. Rahi Anil Bharve's 2018 folk horror Tumbbad and Yash Chopra's classic romantic film Veer-Zaara saw strong collections during their re-release. Additionally, PVR Cinemas celebrated Kareena Kapoor’s 25 years in the film industry by re-releasing some of her iconic movies, further pulling audiences away from Yudhra.
Meanwhile, Stree 2, Amar Kaushik's horror comedy, has continued to dominate the box office for weeks. The film entered the ₹600 crore club on Sunday, becoming a major competitor for all new releases, including Yudhra.
Plot and Cast of Yudhra
Directed by Ravi Udyawar, who previously directed Mom, Yudhra marks Malavika Mohanan’s Bollywood debut. The film centers around Siddhant Chaturvedi’s character, Yudhra, a man with anger issues who goes undercover to dismantle a powerful drug syndicate. Raghav Juyal plays Shafiq, the son of the drug lord Firoz. The film also stars Gajraj Rao, Ram Kapoor, and Raj Arjun in pivotal roles. Co-written by Farhan Akhtar, Akshat Ghildial, and Sridhar Raghavan, Yudhra is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under Excel Entertainment.
Reviews and Reception
Yudhra has received mixed reviews from critics. The Hindustan Times review described the film as having "a lot of scope and potential," but noted that its "unimaginative story leaves you disappointed." Despite strong performances from the cast, particularly Siddhant Chaturvedi, the film’s predictable plot has failed to engage audiences beyond the first weekend.
With a steep decline in box office collections, Yudhra faces an uphill battle to recover from its underwhelming performance after National Cinema Day. Competing against strong re-releases and the ongoing success of Stree 2, the action thriller may struggle to regain its footing at the box office. As the week progresses, it remains to be seen whether Yudhra can attract more viewers or continue its downward trend.