2019 began on a promising note as two films with a nationalist touch released simultaneously. One was the much controversial flick by Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, i.e. ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’, based on the book of the same name while the other movie is the iconic ‘Uri – The Surgical Strike’, directed by debutant Aditya Dhar, and based on the historic surgical strikes that happened as an effective retaliation to the terror attacks on the Uri base camp of the Indian Army.
Since both films were high on patriotism with one highlighting the achievements under the rule of NDA government, it did not go down well with the vicious left liberals, who launched an entire hate campaign against both the movies. From negative reviews to abusive posts on social media, you name it and they did it. However, the masses gave two hoots to the propaganda, as they flocked to the theaters, making Uri a massive success.
Now, to the delight of one and all, ‘Uri’ has turned out to be a resounding BLOCKBUSTER. Made on a medium budget of Rs. 25 crores [if satellite rights and other digital expenses are excluded], the movie has breached the coveted figure of Rs. 100 crores. As of now, the movie has earned a whopping total of Rs. 108.90 crores, giving it the verdict of a sure shot blockbuster, the first movie to do so in the year 2019. Famous film trade analyst cum critic Taran Adarsh has certified the same, as he posted the following tweets:-
#UriTheSurgicalStrike biz at a glance…
Week 1: ₹ 70.94 cr
Weekend 2: ₹ 37.96 cr
Total: ₹ 108.90 cr
India biz. BLOCKBUSTER.#Uri is not going to slow down soon… Should emerge the highest grossing medium-budget film, surpassing the *lifetime biz* of #TWMReturns. #HowsTheJosh— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 21, 2019
#UriTheSurgicalStrike surpasses all expectations, estimations and calculations… Wreaks havoc at the BO… Weekend 2 [₹ 37.96] is higher than Weekend 1 [₹ 35.73 cr]… [Week 2] Fri 7.66 cr, Sat 13.24 cr, Sun 17.06 cr. Total: ₹ 108.90 cr. India biz. #Uri #HowsTheJosh
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) January 21, 2019
To be honest, this is a well-deserved victory, for both the makers of the movie, as well as the masses. Despite the movie being almost at par with cinematic excellence, the left-liberal critics couldn’t help themselves from bashing the movie on absurd parameters, such as the movie being jingoistic, full of propaganda and ‘manipulative scenes’ such as the girl’s emotional rendition of her slain father’s war cry. [Yes, there were people who had the audacity to say this]
However, going by the reaction of the audience, it looks like the masses have taken their lessons well from the treatment of a similar film, ‘Parmanu’, which succeeded at the box office despite such harsh propaganda. Not only have the audience ignored their negative campaign, but they have also made most of the shows of ‘Uri – The Surgical Strike’ housefull.
As Taran Adarsh said, it is time that content rules the roost. According to the acclaimed analyst, if all goes well, the movie will also surpass the lifetime biz of the Aanand L Rai classic ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’, which is one of the most successful medium budget movies as of now. Moreover, with the smashing entrance to the 100 crore club, ‘Uri – The Surgical Strike’ has now joined the league of runaway hits like ‘Raazi’, ‘Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety’, ‘Stree’, ‘Badhaai Ho’, which have succeeded at the box office solely on the basis of their impressive content.
Moreover, the massive box office success of Uri now gives hope to upcoming projects like ‘Batla House’, ‘Taanaji – The Unsung Warrior’, ‘Rifleman’, ‘Rocketry’ etc., which have promise of unapologetic content, and a fitting tribute to the real heroes, who deserve way more accolades than the ones glorified by the left liberals ad nauseam. Given that ‘Thackeray’ and ‘Manikarnika are now lined up for release, it would be interesting to see if Uri manages to breach the 150 crore club.
