‘Chhalawa’ and ‘Wrong No 2’ take Eid box-office by storm

LAHORE : Wrong No 2 and Chhalawa, the two Urdu films that hit theatres on Eid, have cumulatively earned roughly Rs200 million rupees in the first five days of release, The Express Tribune has learnt. The figures are well beyond what stakeholders had been expecting, especially since local cinema houses have been struggling post the ban on Indian content.

As per insiders, Wrong No 2 has been leading the pack, collecting about Rs110 million so far. Chhalawa is close behind, with Rs90 million, though the exact figures for the Mehwish Hayat-starrer could not be independently.

Everready Group of Companies – which released the film – has not confirmed the numbers. Meanwhile, CEO Distribution Club Sheikh Amjad Rasheed has claimed the earnings for Wrong No 2. “My film has been doing good business and is likely to earn more in the next few days so I am very satisfied. I cannot comment on any of the other films that are competing with it.

Generally, film-makers, distributors and cinema-owners are ecstatic over the audience’s positive response to both releases and have their fingers crossed for even better numbers for the week following Eid.

A total of eight films were released during the festive season – two Urdu, one Punjabi and three Pashto-language productions. Alongside these were global giants like Disney’s Aladdin, X-Men: Dark Phoenix and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. But even so, the competition has remained between Wrong No 2 and Chhalawa mainly and families flocked to their nearest cinema-houses to watch both during the five-day Eid weekend.

However, a source at a local distribution company said that both films did equally well in the first three days, until Wrong No 2 got ahead. “Wrong No 2 earned about Rs70 million on the three main Eid days… Rs10.6 million on day one and Rs20 million on day two,” they shared.

“Chhalawa generated similar numbers and was the first choice for most of the public that came in. But both films have been doing well due to their music and romantic stories.”

Chaudhry Ejaz Kamran, chairman of Pakistan Film Distributors Association, added, “We’ve had a fantastic response from the public to both local releases. The business they have generated over Eid has given new hope to Pakistani films in the international film market. In fact, not just the two main Urdu releases but the Punjabi film Sharikay Di Aag has also performed remarkably and we’re all really happy.”

 An official of a local cinema house in Lahore, seeking anonymity, also confirmed that both Wrong No 2 and Chhalawa are going head-to-head in most cinemas across the city.

CHHALAWA EID THREE DAYS BOXOFFICE COLLECTION PAKISTAN: REMARKABLE

Mehwish Hayat starrer Chhalawa has done remarkably well in its first three days. The film got huge boost in terms of footfall due to Eid. The first three days business goes down as the biggest opening for a Wajahat Rauf title.

As per early estimates, the film has hauled in a little under PKR 65 million in the first three days. The film has performed best in Lahore as it was in the lead amongst all Eid releases and that too with a good margin. Similarly, the film has done exceptionally well in Rwp/Isl as it brought in a stonking PKR 9.1 million from the twin cities.

Below is film’s estimated business breakdown in first three days.
Wednesday.. 15 million
 Thursday.. 25 million
Friday.. 24 million
Total.. 64 million

The film saw massive growth on second day of Eid. The film then held well on third day of Eid. With Saturday and Sunday ahead, film will definitely close its extended weekend over staggering 100 million mark.

Chhalawa vs Wrong No 2: Who will score a homerun this Eid?

KARACHI: As Bollywood films continue to be banned, this Eid will primarily revolve around Pakistani and Hollywood films. Apart from Chhalawa and Wrong No 2, Hollywood releases such as Secret Life of Pets 2, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Disney’s Aladdin and Jon Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum will be available in cinemas near you. Marvel’s upcoming offering Dark Phoenix will join the rest a week later on June 14.

Mehwish Hayat and Azfar Rehman’s starrer Chhalawa looks like a typical Masala film, expected to draw some crowds this holiday season. The film’s trailer promises an emotional roller-coaster with a few of those mindless sequences that are known to cheer up the Eid audience. A light-hearted romantic comedy, Chhalawa also stars Ashir Wajahat, Mahmood Aslam and Adnan Shah Tipu.

Acclaimed film-maker Yasir Nawaz’s upcoming venture Wrong No 2 is all set to release this week. Advance booking opened in cinemas across the country a while back and the cast and crew were busy promoting the film with full flare. Since both Wrong No 2 and Chhalawa don’t feature any major superstar pairings, they are expected to give each other a tough time at the box office.

'Chhalawa' trailer shows each character's eccentricity

Three weeks after the teaser release of upcoming local film Chhalawa, the official trailer has been revealed.

“Pyari Ammi jaan, aaj to Abbay ne had hi kardi… Kehta hai Jalal Chaudhry se teri shaadi kara dunga. Per mera naam bhi Zoya Rafaqat Chaudhry hai! (Beloved mother, father has crossed all the limits… He says he will get me married off to Jalal Chaudhry. But I am Zoya Rafaqat Chaudhry!)” And there we have the introduction for Mehwish Hayat’s character.

Then we encounter Azfar Rehman, where he’s seen stood in front of his mirror, trying on various (rather outlandish) pieces. He plays Zoya’s love interest and makes his way to Punjab “Bau Jee ka dil jeetne (To win her father’s heart.)”

Zara Noor Abbas’ character is somewhat of a fun-loving drama queen who romances Asad Siddiqui in the film. We see snippets of the title song playing in the background and of Mehwish’s ‘item song’ where she’s seen dancing up a storm clad in a beautiful, elaborate lehenga.

However, although the first half is all fun and games, the trailer gets darker towards the end. We see fights, tears and heartbreak bringing in a bit more depth to the film. It ends on a cliffhanger.

 The film-makers have done a good job at showing each character’s individuality and giving us the story line in a nutshell through the trailer. A light-hearted romantic comedy, Chhalawa also features Ashir Wajahat, Mahmood Aslam and Adnan Shah Tipu.

The film, which is directed, written and produced by Wajahat Rauf will hit cinemas this Eidul Fitr.

And That's a Wrap for Chhallawa Shoot

Pakistani Cinema is on the rise and we simply love that because what is more interesting is the fact that our filmmakers are experimenting with all kinds of content and creating films with different genres. Amongst a number of releases in Pakistan, ever since the cinema has been en-route revival, we have appreciated the work Wajahat Rauf has brought in as a director. With him having made us laugh with Karachi se Lahore, he recently had announced a new film called Chhalawa which stars the stunning Mehwish Hayat in the lead.

With Wajahat busy shooting for the film as he plans to release it this Eid-ul-Fitr, it seems that the film has finally wrapped up its shooting as announced by the producer / director himself through social media as he wrote, 'On the last day of Chhalawa shoot'

Besides Mehwish Hayat, the film also stars Zara Noor Abbas who has two film coming out this year, the first being Asim Razas Parey Hut Love and male leads in the form of Azfar Rehman and Asad Siddiqui who look amazing by what we have seen so far related to the film.

In an earlier conversation with HIP Wajahat had told,

 'Chhalawa is a refreshing take on family and romance with a unique blend of comedy. It sheds light on the communication gap between generations; it explores the nuances of father - daughter relationships and sibling bonds through an emotional, effective and dramatic manner that could be a great way of communicating and passing a message, which is what really my endeavour was as a filmmaker. It's different from my previous body of work. Chhalawa is fun at the same time is loaded with emotional elements as well'.

So with the shoot all wrapped up we look forward to seeing Chhalawa on the big screen this year as the teaser has left us quite amused since it looks like a colourful and a fun film not to be missed at any cost.