Jr NTR's action epic, Devara: Part 1, saw an impressive surge in collections on Wednesday, benefiting from the national holiday for Gandhi Jayanti. The film experienced a significant mid-week boost, with a rise in box office numbers across all languages. As per industry tracker Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 20.5 crore nett on Wednesday, marking a 40% jump from Tuesday's figures. The original Telugu version led the charge with a gross of Rs 13 crore, while the Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil versions together contributed over Rs 4 crore. The Hindi version, with a 50% increase, brought in over Rs 6 crore.
In six days, Devara: Part 1 had accumulated Rs 207.85 crore nett domestically with its worldwide gross standing at an estimated Rs 370 crore. The film is expected to close its first week around the Rs 220 crore mark.
The film, which also stars Saif Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor in their Telugu debuts, will enjoy a full week without major releases before it encounters two Hindi films: Alia Bhatt's jailbreak actioner Jigra and the Rajkummar Rao-Triptii Dimri's film Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video.
In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and he wrote, "Devara: Part 1 is a mixed bag. The parts that work, few and far between as they are, might serve to whet the appetite of fans of big-canvas action and melodrama. The segments that fall short do not quite meet expectations. They are the sort of dampers that could damage the future prospects of the two-part film. Be that as it may, Devara: Part 1 isn't exactly always adrift at sea. It does occasionally manage to anchor itself to terra firma, where the fight scenes are energetic and robust. With the editing and a fervent NTR Jr imparting a degree of steadiness to the film, it isn't a washout."
Originally envisioned as a standalone movie, Devara has been split into two parts, with the first installment hitting cinemas on September 27. Post-Devara, Jr NTR will next be seen with Hrithik Roshan in War 2.
The film is produced by Yuvasudha Arts and NTR Arts, with cinematography by Rathnavelu ISC, production design by Sabu Cyril and editing by Sreekar Prasad.
