Deepika Padukone in "Padmaavat." (Image courtesy: bhansaliproductionsfc)
Highlights
- "Padmaavat" is Deepika's seventh film to cross Rs 100-crore mark
- "Padmaavat" collected over Rs 110 crore in four days
- Ram Leela and Bajirao Mastani also crossed the Rs 100-crore mark
Deepika Padukone's prediction of "earth-shattering box office numbers" for her new film "
Padmaavat" appear to have been bang on. Come Friday (Thursday, in the case of "
Padmaavat") and nothing speaks louder than ticket sales so while critics have been less than appreciative of the film in reviews, it seems the audience has given it a resounding thumbs up. If more proof that Deepika Padukone rocks at the box office was needed, it is this - the
Rs 114 crore that "Padmaavat" has made in four days seals her status as Bollywood's most profitable female star. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh reports that "
Padmaavat" is Deepika's seventh film to make it past the 100 crore finish line, after
Chennai Express,
Happy New Year,
Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani,
Bajirao Mastani,
Ram-Leela and
Race 2.
See Mr Adarsh's tweet here:
For Deepika's "
Padmaavat" co-star Ranveer Singh, it is the third 100 crore film after
Bajirao Mastani and
Ram-Leela. Put simply, Deepika's credentials as a box office draw are as solid as any Khan's - and it's as good a time as any to revisit the pay gap question.
Bollywood stars, male and female, regularly assert that whoever is bringing in the eyeballs should get the bigger payday - with the unspoken rider that its always the male star that cine-goers flock to theatres to see. Bring in the crores to make the crores, say actors. Happily, it seems that in the case of "
Padmaavat," balance was restored. While appearing on a new TV show, Deepika was reportedly asked if she was paid more than co-stars Ranveer and Shahid Kapoor -
"Yes," she answered simply. And for once, all is right with the world.
Taran Adarsh reports the film's current business as:
While she hasn't yet acknowledged the tweet about her 100 crore fame, Deepika did react to Mr Adarsh's box office report:
Deepika's "
Padmaavat" earnings will likely put her back into the Top 10 of Forbes India's annual list of 100 celebs - perhaps even onto the international list of highest-paid actresses, on which she featured in 2016.
"
Padmaavat" is Deepika Padukone's first proper Bollywood release since 2015's
Bajirao Mastani. She was busy most of 2016 filming her Hollywood debut xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, which released last year. "
Padmaavat" was also meant to have opened last December but was rejected for certification by the Censor Board. It was cleared this month with some edits, which included changing the original title of
Padmavati, and released on January 25 after months of controversy and violent protests over how the film depicts the legend of Rajput queen Padmini of Chittor.