On Friday, September 5th, the Indian cinema landscape saw a four-way battle for audience attention, featuring two Bollywood productions and two Hollywood entries. ‘Baaghi 4’, an action film starring Tiger Shroff and Sanjay Dutt, premiered alongside Vivek Agnihotri’s political drama, ‘The Bengal Files’. Hollywood contributed the horror film ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ and another high-profile international release.
Despite the varying levels of pre-release excitement and mixed feedback from early viewers, ‘Baaghi 4’ secured higher earnings compared to ‘The Bengal Files’. A breakdown of both Bollywood films’ performance at the box office follows.
‘Baaghi 4’ enjoyed a solid initial performance, amassing around Rs 12 crore net in India on its opening day. However, this number didn’t quite match the openings of previous films in the franchise. ‘Baaghi 3’ collected Rs 17.5 crore on its first day, and ‘Baaghi 2’ enjoyed a substantial debut with Rs 25.10 crore. Even the original ‘Baaghi’ started with Rs 11.85 crore.
Directed by A Harsha, ‘Baaghi 4’ marks his entry into Bollywood and is set to be released on September 5, 2025. The film is also slated to face competition at the box office.
The ‘Baaghi’ franchise began in 2016 with Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor, with the first two installments proving commercially successful. ‘Baaghi 3’, however, saw a less positive response, partially due to pandemic-related restrictions on theater attendance.
‘The Bengal Files’, Vivek Agnihotri’s political drama starring Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, and Darshan Kumaar, had a slower start, with an estimated Rs 1.75 crore net in India on its first day. Despite the pre-release discussion and sensitive subject matter, the film failed to attract large audiences on Day 1.
The release of the film was marked by controversy, particularly in West Bengal. During the Kolkata launch, the trailer wasn’t shown, and reports indicated the movie wasn’t screened in any theaters within the state. Director Vivek Agnihotri alleged that theater owners were pressured to avoid showing the film. Actress Pallavi Joshi expressed her concerns by writing an open letter to the President of India, labeling it an “unofficial ban,” despite the censor board’s lack of objections.
‘The Bengal Files’ is written and directed by Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri and produced by Abhishek Agarwal, Pallavi Joshi and Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. It features Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Anupam Kher, and Darshan Kumar. The film has a worldwide release by Zee Studios, and is presented by Tej Narayan Agarwal & I Am Buddha. This film is a part of Vivek’s Files trilogy, which includes ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘The Tashkent Files’.