Unlike his past two Eid releases, Salman Khan’s Bharat has got off to a promising start. It raked in Rs 42.30 crores at the box office on its opening day, making the film not only Bhai’s biggest Eid opener but also his biggest opener ever.
The actor tweeted his thanks to fans writing, “Big thank you sabko for giving sabse bada opening mere career ka par what made me the happiest & proudest is ki during a scene in my film jab national anthem is recited everyone stood up as a mark of respect. There could be no bigger respect for our country than this... Jai Hind.”
Salman mentioned that though he was happy with how the film has been received, what touched him was how everyone stood up during a scene in the film in which the national anthem is played saying that there could be no bigger mark of respect for India.
Bharat has surpassed the opening day box office collections of several of Salman’s films, including Tiger Zinda Hai (Rs 34.10 crore), Sultan (Rs 36.54 crore) and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Rs 40.35 crore).
Among his Eid releases, 2010’s Dabangg earned the least on day 1 at Rs 14.50 crore. Tubelight, Bodyguard and Race 3 also saw lukewarm responses on opening day, earning Rs 21.15 crore, 21.60 crore and 29.17 crore, respectively, according to trade analyst Taran Adarsh.
Bharat is a remake of award-winning Korean film Ode to My Father. The film traces the history of India through Salman Khan's character with a timeline that spans about 50 years. The actor dons various avatars through the film, including that of a stuntman, miner and naval officer. The film also stars Katrina Kaif and Disha Patani, who play his love interests, as well as Tabu, Jackie Shroff, Disha Patani and Sunil Grover.
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