Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani-starrer Laxmmi premiered on Disney+Hotstar on Monday (9 November), and the streaming platform announced that the film broke viewership records within hours of its release.
A social media post from Disney+Hotstar said that the movie “broke all previous records set by any other Bollywood blockbuster within hours of its release.” Previously, the platform made a similar announcement after the release of late Sushant Singh Rajput's Dil Bechara.
Directed by Raghava Lawrence, Laxmii is the remake of the 2011 film Kanchana. Thanking fans, Akshay Kumar said in a statement, "I am overwhelmed and overjoyed by the response that Laxmii received. It’s heartening to know that audiences and fans from across the country logged on to Disney+ Hotstar VIP to watch the movie within hours of its release. Who doesn’t love beating records – whether it’s at the box-office or opening night on streaming platforms. Nothing is comparable to this feeling of euphoria".
Laxmii didn't go down well with the critics though. The Quint's Stutee Ghosh wrote, "Even judging by the Bollywood standard of 'brainless comedies' Laxmii falls short miserably. Neither funny nor inspiring and a horror in the most literal sense, it makes mockery of the very things it claims to be celebrating. A hero with a scientific temperament comfortable with his misogyny and a film where transgender characters have to carry the burden of nauseating stereotypes. The year isn’t over but it’s safe to say that Laxmii is the worst film of 2020".
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