The first-day collection of actor Chiyaan Vikram's historical drama Thangalaan started on a good note as the film opened with Rs 12 crore at the box office on Thursday.
Directed by Pa Ranjith, the film was released in three languages (Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam) on Independence Day, August 15, and has received mixed reviews.
According to the tracking website Sacnilk, Thangalaan made Rs 11 crore in Tamil, Rs 1.5 crore in Telugu and Rs 10 lakh in Malayalam. It witnessed an overall occupancy of 71.64 per cent in theatres for the Tamil version.
Thangalaan is facing tough competition from Telugu cinema's Mr Bachchan and Double iSmart. Meanwhile, the film is clashing against Demonte Colony and Raghu Thatha in the Tamil region. So far, it is leading the pack.
However, the earnings of this Vikram starrer are lesser in comparison to his previous releases, especially Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan films. While the first part earned a whopping Rs 80 crore crore on day 1 in Tamil Nadu, the second part earned Rs 38 crore.
Jointly produced by Studio Green and Neelam Productions, the crew of Thangalaan comprises composer GV Prakash Kumar, editor RK Selva and cinematographer A Kishore Kumar. The script was co-written by Ranjith with Tamil Prabha and Azhagiral Periyavan.
The film also stars Parvathy Thiruvothu, Malavika Mohanan, Pasupathy, and Daniel Caltagirone, among many others in vital roles.
Set at a time when the Britishers discovered the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF), Thangalaan is a political film that traces the beginnings of gold mining in the region and how systemic oppression became an angst.