Ayushmann Khurrana got his seventh consecutive hit as Bala opened up to a terrific weekend. It hit the theatres on 8 November and managed to earn Rs 43.95 crore at the box office in three days. The film made Rs 10.15 crore at the box office on the first day. The numbers considerably jumped to Rs 15.73 crore on the second day, taking the total to Rs 25.88 crore in just two days.
Taran Adarsh took to Twitter to write that Ayushmann’s competition is Ayushmann himself. While Dream Girl raked in Rs 44.57 crore, Badhaai Ho (which released last year) earned Rs 45.70 crore in its extended weekend.
He also said that “strong word of mouth” and Ayushmann’s growing brand has contributed to the film’s earnings, and business is expected to increase over the weekend.
Earlier, trade analysts had predicted that with positive reviews, Bala could earn around Rs 30 crore on its first weekend. Girish Johar, in an interview to The Quint, had predicted that the film should make “between Rs 8-10 crore on day one”. “I can see a 7th hit coming,” he said. “Ayushmann has cracked the formula of telling taboo-breaking stories in a desi and quirky manner so entire families can go and watch,” Johar said.
Directed by Amar Kaushik, Bala stars Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar with Saurabh Shukla, Seema Pahwa, Abhishek Banerjee and Javed Jaffrey in supporting roles. Set in Kanpur, the film follows the tale of a young man, who resorts to desperate – and sometimes repulsive – measures to find a solution to premature balding. He falls in love with a TikTok star, played by Yami Gautam. The film has been well-received by critics, who have praised Ayushmann and Bhumi’s performances. The Quint’s Stutee Ghosh writes, “Ayushman Khurrana is excellent as the complex young man battling anxiety. Bala is a breathing throbbing character thanks to him,” adding that “Bhumi brings in so much restraint and depth.”