'Ram Setu' collected Rs. 15.25 crore on Day 1, becoming the second-highest opener for a Hindi film in 2022. Ayan Mukerji's Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, had collected around Rs. 36 crores in India in all languages on Day 1 when it was released in September.
Akshay's recent releases have struggled to perform at the box office. Bachchhan Paandey, Samrat Prithviraj and Raksha Bandhan all fared poorly against their purported budgets, while his OTT release, Cuttputlli, received mixed reviews. The actor's last bona fide hit was Sooryavanshi in 2021, with an India box-office gross of over 220 crores.
Directed by Abhishek Sharma, Ram Setu follows an archaeologist, Dr Aryan Kulshrestha (Akshay Kumar), sent to ascertain the origins of the Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge, a 48-km chain of shoals between India and Sri Lanka that many believe is the titular bridge built by Lord Ram's simian army in the Ramayana. The film also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Nushrratt Bharuccha, Satyadev Kancharana and M Nassar in key roles.
Akshay's upcoming films are Selfiee, OMG - Oh My God 2, a Soorarai Pottru remake and Capsule Gill.
(This story originally appeared in Cinemaexpress)