Ajay Devgn's Tanhaji surpasses Deepika starrer Chhapaak at Box Office

Although Tanhaji had a decent opening, the Day 2 collection witnessed a massive upward trend. Interestingly, the two Bollywood stars of the two films were embroiled in a social media hullabaloo for the past days over their different takes on the JNU violence in Delhi that polarised the people.

"#Tanhaji roars on Day 2... Metros *and* mass belt, multiplexes *and* single screens, #Tanhaji is simply remarkable... #Maharashtra is record-smashing... Other circuits - decent on Day 1 - join the celebrations on Day 2... Fri 15.10 cr, Sat 20.57 cr. Total: ₹ 35.67 cr. #India biz," Trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted.

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Meanwhile, Chhapaak had a very ordinary opening and as per trends, the moviegoers seem not so inclined towards it.

"#Chhapaak is ordinary on Day 1... Collects well at select high-end multiplexes... Biz at Tier-2 and 3 cities and also mass circuits is way below the mark... Growth on Day 2 and 3 crucial for a respectable weekend total... Fri ₹ 4.77 cr. #India biz," Adarsh tweeted.

Day 2 business witnessed growth but failed to make any impressive result.

"#Chhapaak witnesses an upward trend on Day 2, but the 2-day total is underwhelming... Decent at premium multiplexes, but unable to connect *and* collect beyond metros... Needs to cover lost ground on Day 3... Fri 4.77 cr, Sat 6.90 cr. Total: ₹ 11.67 cr. #India biz," he wrote.

Chhapaak is based on the life of acid-attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal who was portrayed in the film by Padukone.

Chhapaak was caught in the midst of a controversy after its lead actress and co-producer Padukone visited the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) earlier this week and stood in the middle of the protesting Leftist students who were agitating against the assault on them including Students Union president Aishe Ghosh and Professor Sucharita Sen.

Deepika earned both praise and brickbats for her open stand on supporting the Left students in the JNU episode by sharing their platform after the violence with surprise visit to the campus, while Ajay Devgn since his tweet on the issue- where he urged all to wait till proper facts emerge on the real happenings of the evening when masked men unleashed violence on the students and teacher- met with similar reactions with some supporting him and some challenging his utterances with sarcasm.

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, a much different film from Chhapaak in scale, is a biographical period and action drama set in the 17th century  revolving around the battle of Sinhagad.