‘Jersey’ starring Shahid Kapoor and Mrinal Thakur released in theaters on Friday. The first-day collections in India are below Rs 5 crore.
The versions of ‘RRR’ and ‘KGF Chapter’ opened with Rs 18 crore and 50 plus crore on the first day in India. But a straight Hindi movie starring a big Bollywood star getting mere Rs 3.75 crore shows how tepid the response was.
After the pandemic, the business of Bollywood changed. The Modi government and BJP bhakts spewed venom against Bollywood stars. They are treated as if they were anti-nationals. The majority of youth and mass audiences are in the grip of Whatsapp-forwarded messages. So, Bollywood has been struggling to see success, whereas even average masala South movies are getting good openings.
Shahid Kapoor’s ‘Jersey’ also received average to low ratings from critics. So, it stands little chance to see a jump in the collections.
