'Udta Punjab' nears Rs 50 crore mark

Mumbai: Abhishek Chaubey's “Udta Punjab”, which remained in the news for a tiff between the makers and the censor board before its release, has earned Rs 48.50 crore in its opening week. The drug-themed movie, which released on June 17, stars Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Diljit Dosanjh. After minting Rs 33.80 crore in its opening weekend, “Udta Punjab” remained strong at the box office in the week, read a statement. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film did well in the northern circuit. “'Udta Punjab' performed best in Punjab and Delhi specifically in week one. In other circuits, the business ranged from decent to ordinary,” Adarsh posted on Twitter on Friday. Adarsh shared that the second week will be crucial for the film. “Week two, starting today, is crucial for 'Udta Punjab'. It faces tough competition from the Punjabi film 'Sardaarji 2' in North circuits,” he added. On June 24, as many as seven movies hit the screens. These also included Hollywood biggie "Independence Day: Resurgence" as well as Anurag Kashyap's "Raman Raghav 2.0". Commenting on the fate of Friday's releases, trade guru Komal Nahta posted on Facebook: "Opening of 'Raman Raghav 2.0' poor. Opening of 'Junooniyat' also weak. Opening of today's other releases terrible. Going to be bad weekend at box office."