Akshay Kumar’s Kesari 2 inches towards Rs 80 Crore mark

Aksahy Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday’s courtroom drama Kesari 2 continues its steady run at the box office, inching towards the coveted Rs 80 crore mark. Directed by lawyer-turned-filmmaker Karan Singh Tyagi, the film, based on Raghu and Pushpa Palat’s book The Case That Shook The Empire, has struck a chord with audiences seeking compelling real-life stories.

Kesari 2 opened with a decent Rs 7.75 crore on its first Friday, but gained momentum over the opening weekend, collecting Rs 9.75 crore on Saturday and Rs 12 crore on Sunday. Despite the predictable weekday drop, it managed a respectable first-week total of Rs 46.1 crore. The film’s gripping narrative, coupled with strong performances by Madhavan and Panday, fueled word-of-mouth, allowing it to hold reasonably well in its second week.
In Week 2, the film added Rs 28.65 crore, with solid weekend numbers — Rs 4.05 crore on Friday, Rs 7.15 crore on Saturday, and Rs 8.1 crore on Sunday. While weekday numbers dropped as expected, they stayed steady enough to keep the film’s momentum alive.
As of its third Saturday, Kesari 2 has amassed Rs 77.90 crore at the India box office, with early estimates suggesting Rs 1.90 crore on its 16th day. Going by the business one can expect the film to cross the Rs 80 crore mark by Sunday night; a commendable feat for a niche courtroom drama competing against commercial entertainers.
Madhavan delivers a nuanced performance as the resilient Kesari, while Ananya Panday surprises in one of her most grounded roles as a young lawyer fighting alongside him but it is Akshay who holds the film together.
Director Karan Singh Tyagi, leveraging his legal background, crafts a taut, authentic narrative without resorting to excessive melodrama. The film’s success proves once again that well-made, content-driven cinema has a loyal audience. With Rs 80 crore within reach, Kesari 2 has emerged as one of the sleeper hits of the year.The film brings a breather for Akshay Kumar as he struggles to find success at the box office since Pandemic.
He will be next seen in Housefull 5, releasing on 6th June sees him uniting with his friends Ritiesh Deshmukh, Fardeen Khan, Abhishek Bachchan , Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff. The first song of the film Laal Pari has connected with the masses in a big way.