Inspiring drama of an ensemble cast delivers solid opening for Uunchai

Agencies

Mumbai, Nov. 13: Early estimates suggest that director Sooraj Barjatya’s Uunchai, starring an ensemble cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, had a decent start at the box office. The film also stars Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Neena Gupta and Sarika. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Uunchai has made IRs 1.81 crore in India on its opening day. This is a good figure, because the film has had a limited release in only 483 screen across India.

This comes after a series of underwhelming releases for Amitabh. 

Positive word-of-mouth and a solid promotional effort have helped Uunchai gain much-needed momentum in theatres. The film was released on Friday, November 11, and is expected to attract more footfalls over the weekend. Sooraj Barjatya returned to the director’s chair for Uunchai after eight years. His last directorial was Salman Khan’s Prem Ratan Dhan Aayo in 2016. The film also marks his first collaboration between with Amitabh. 

The filmmaker had recently opened up about how, after delivering family-friendly blockbusters, he gravitated towards the quieter world of Uunchai – a film about three friends in their 60s who go on a mission to scale the Mount Everest – as he wanted to break free of the box office trap.

In a video posted on Rajshri Productions’ YouTube page, Sooraj Barjatya said, “I wanted to make one film without bothering (about numbers). I remember telling Anupam sir also that I want to make a film for myself. For Uunchai, I just wanted to break this compulsion to prove myself with box office numbers. It was liberating. I just wanted to take one big challenge. At the drop of a hat, I just picked up this subject and it didn’t leave me.”

In her review of the film, Indian Express’ Shalini Langar wrote, “How often do you get to see a road film about three old men and two old women, whose one lesson is about change being the only constant? Life is not a one-way street, is the surprising and refreshing message that the three friends Amit (Bachchan), Om (Kher) and Javed (Irani) learn on their bid to climb till the Everest base camp. You can learn every step of the way, very often looking backward but also sometimes looking forward.”