‘Sarkeet’ box office collections day 1: Asif Ali’s film mints Rs 41 lakhs

Asif Ali's latest Malayalam film ‘Sarkeet’ has taken a modest yet promising start at the box office, collecting Rs 41 lakhs worldwide on its opening day.Decent openingAccording to the Sacnilk website reports, the film grossed Rs 37 lakhs from India net collections, all of which came from the Malayalam market.Directed by Thamar K V, who previously helmed ‘1001 Nunakal’, ‘Sarkeet’ released in theatres on May 8, 2025, and is receiving a decent response from both critics and audiences for its emotionally connecting narrative.‘Sarkeet’ plotThe film stars Asif Ali, Orhan Hyder, Deepak Parambol, and Divya Prabha in lead roles. Set entirely in the UAE, Sarkeet explores the emotional journey of a couple, Balu and Stephy, as they grapple with raising a child diagnosed with ADHD while managing the strains of their relationship and demanding work schedules abroad. The plot intensifies with the unexpected arrival of a mysterious, exhausted stranger who disrupts their already fragile routine, leading to a subtle yet powerful emotional unraveling.Our official reviewFollowing the success of ‘Rekhachithram’, ‘Sarkeet’ marks a notable shift in Asif Ali's filmography, leaning into nuanced emotional drama rather than mainstream entertainment. ETimes gave a rating of 3 out of 5 stars for the Asif Ali starrer and our review reads, “Asif, as usual, plays the character so smoothly, that he almost brings alive the suggestion of a Dostoeviskian dilemma. He is just instinctively good. It’s an emotional story and all the actors, from Deepak to Divya to kindly older man, who takes Ameer in, have done a good job. A special mention to child actor Orhan, who has played a difficult role very well. But having said this, the film is dependent to a large extent on the dynamics between Ameer and Jeffron, but the chemistry between the actors doesn’t really feel special; there is a slight lack there. The cinematography by Aeyaz captures UAE in a manner that we haven’t really seen much of before.”