Abhishek Nama's ambitious mythological fantasy, Nagabandham, continued its theatrical run on its first Wednesday, showing signs of stability at the box office. The film, starring Virat Karrna and Nabha Natesh, collected approximately Rs 1.34 crore net across India on Day 6, according to early trade estimates.
This marks a marginal drop from its Day 5 collection of Rs 1.55 crore, indicating that the film has found its footing after the initial weekend rush. The film's total India net collection now stands at Rs 13.33 crore after six days. The film maintained an overall occupancy of 16.4% on Day 6, with around 2,995 shows across the country.
State-wise, the film's performance remained consistent with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana contributing the bulk of the collections, followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Hindi dubbed version, however, continues to struggle, with first week collections reported at just Rs 2.00 crore across circuits.
Directed by Abhishek Nama, who also penned the story and screenplay, Nagabandham is produced by Kishore Annapureddy and Nishitha Nagireddy under the banners of NIK Studios and Abhishek Pictures. The film features an ensemble cast including Virat Karrna in a dual role as Rudra and Shiva, Nabha Natesh and Iswarya Menon as the female leads, with Jagapathi Babu, Mahesh Manjrekar, Murali Sharma, and Rishabh Sawhney playing pivotal roles. The cinematography is handled by Soundar Rajan S, with editing by RC Pranav, and music composed by Junaid Kumar and Abhe.
The film, which blends mythology, fantasy and adventure, revolves around a sacred treasure connected to Lord Anantha Padmanabha Swamy hidden in the Himalayas. Despite the visual spectacle and grand production values, the film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, which impacted its initial box-office performance. However, reports suggest that the makers have released a revised version that is around 15 minutes shorter, which has received a positive response from audiences and helped improve its theatrical run.
With a reported budget of Rs 80-100 crore, the film has an uphill battle to recover its massive investment. The film has crossed Rs 35 crore worldwide in its first week, and the positive response to the revised version could help it gain stronger audience support in the coming days.