Ayushmann Khurrana, Rashmika Mandanna and Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s horror-comedy ‘Thamma’ hit theatres this Diwali and is now inching close to the ₹100 crore mark as it nears the end of its first week. Despite a wide release, the film faced direct competition from Harshvardhan Rane’s ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’, which also stars Sonam Bajwa. Interestingly, even though ‘Thamma’ had nearly three times more shows, ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ still managed to put up respectable numbers at the box office.‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ opened with ₹9 crore on day one — matching the first-day numbers of ‘Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari’. It collected ₹7.75 crore on day two and ₹6 crore on day three. On day four, it added ₹5.5 crore, while the first Saturday (day five) brought in ₹5.75 crore. On Sunday, day 6, it has earned another ₹6.75 crore, taking its total to ₹41.25 crore.Although this total is less than half of ‘Thamma’’s box office collection, the difference in screen count is significant. According to Box Office India, both films are underperforming in the Mumbai circuit. However, given that ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ was made on a much smaller budget, its performance is being viewed positively.The extended weekend could improve numbers slightly, but with many states still in holiday mode, the usual Sunday growth was missing. Still, ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ offers hope for smaller films, proving that even without big stars or massive budgets, stories can connect with audiences. Meanwhile, ‘Thamma’ has crossed the Rs 90 crore mark on Sunday. Post-pandemic, very few mid-scale Hindi films have managed to make a mark according to Box Office India, ‘12th Fail’ being a rare example. However, that film largely drew crowds from multiplexes in major cities, “an audience far easier to find without bigger stars and budgets.” In that sense, ‘Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat’ stands as a promising sign for the evolving landscape of Hindi cinema. Day wise collection of ‘Ek Deewane ki Deewaniyat’Day 1 [1st Tuesday] ₹ 9 Cr -Day 2 [1st Wednesday] ₹ 7.75 CrDay 3 [1st Thursday] ₹ 6 CrDay 4 [1st Friday] ₹ 5.5 Cr Day 5 [1st Saturday] ₹ 5.75 Cr * Day 6 [1st Sunday] ₹ 6.75 Cr ** -Total ₹41.25 Cr
