When the first flicker of light hit the screens Friday, Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia stepped into a forest‑packed drama that felt more like an expedition than a rom‑com. The story, stitched around the vibrant Chhath Puja celebrations in the heart of Central India, promises a blend of mythic lore and contemporary romance, all wrapped in the directors’ signature flair—Deepak Kumar Mishra and Arunabh Kumar. Filmed on location amid the dense, mist‑kissed trees of the forest, the visuals aim to pull viewers into a world where ancient rituals meet the modern heartbeat of the protagonists.
The first‑day receipts are in: a tidy ₹8 Cr net across 6,746 shows, with an extra ₹1 Cr from overseas screens, pushing the worldwide total to roughly ₹9 Cr. Occupancy sits at 28.25% overall, climbing to 41.46% in the night slot, and the Mumbai showings top the chart at 33.8% across 491 screens.
Critics are split. Some applaud the lush backdrop and the chemistry between the leads, while others flag the pacing as uneven, arguing that the forest setting overshadows the core narrative.
Behind the scenes, the film is a joint venture between Balaji Motion Pictures and The Viral Fever, backed by producers Ektaa Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Niraj Kothari, and Arunabh Kumar. The production’s choice to shoot in authentic forest locales lends an air of credibility that factory sets rarely achieve.
With a planned overseas push next month, the filmmakers hope the second weekend will see a boost. Fans are already lining up for the second half of September, eager to see how the forest tale unfolds.