SANJU FIGHTS FOR THIRD PLACE

Going by the current box- office trends, trade pundits believe that Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju may go on to become one of Bollywood’s highest grossers of all time, but they also say that promotions may need a shot in the arm over the coming weekend to give collections a boost. Sanju has grossed over ` 320 crore, becoming the eighth film to enter the ` 300 crore club. It has beaten the collections of Salman Khan’s Sultan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat, and it currently sits in the sixth position on the list of Bollywood’s highest grossers. Within a day, it will probably beat Salman Khan’s Bajrangi Bhaijaan too. “But Monday’s collections were not very encouraging; there’s been a significant drop. Sanju needs to make ` 20 crore more in the next few days to beat Aamir Khan’s PK and Salman Khan’s Tiger Zinda Hai, both of which are around the ` 340 crore mark,” a trade analyst says. Atul Mohan, the editor of the trade magazine Complete Cinema, believes that the film has the potential to go that distance. “Only Rajkumar Hirani can outdo himself. If the team manages to keep the film afloat through some more promotions, Sanju could become the third highest grosser of all time,” he says.

The Hindi version of Baahubali: The Conclusion occupies the first place on that list, with ` 511 crore in collections, and Aamir Khan’s Dangal is in second place with ` 387 crore in collections.

Sanju has beaten the collections of Sultan and Padmaavat. It currently sits in the sixth position on the list of Bollywood’s highest grossers.