Bandar Box Office Opening Weekend: Bobby Deol’s Most Daring Film Yet Earns Just ₹2 Cr — A Victim of Competition or Content?

There’s a painful irony at the heart of Bandar‘s box office story. A film that earned thunderous applause at the Toronto International Film Festival, that critics are calling one of Bobby Deol’s finest performances, and that tackles one of Indian cinema’s most uncomfortable subjects — is sitting at a barely-there ₹2 crore opening weekend. Here’s the full picture.

Bandar — Opening Weekend Box Office Collections

Source: Trade estimates. Figures are nett collections at the Indian box office.

Bandar Film at a Glance

What Is Bandar About?

Bandar tells the story of Samir Mehra (Bobby Deol) — a former television superstar struggling to rebuild his career and life. He has a steady relationship with his partner Khushi (Saba Azad) when things take a seismic turn: his ex-girlfriend Gayatri (Sapna Pabbi) returns and accuses him of rape. What follows is a searing, uncomfortable examination of truth, power, privilege, and the corrupt machinery of the legal system in India.

It is the kind of subject that Indian cinema has historically shied away from — and that is precisely what makes Bandar a significant film, even if commercial audiences haven’t yet showed up for it.

Why Did Bandar Struggle at the Box Office?

The opening weekend collapse isn’t purely a reflection of quality — it’s a collision of circumstance and market reality.

Bandar released on June 5 alongside Varun Dhawan’s Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai (which opened to ₹7.75 crore on Day 1) and was also competing with Ram Charan’s Peddi, which crossed ₹69 crore on its very first day in India. For a dark, gritty crime thriller with no songs, no romance, and a budget of ₹25 crore, this was arguably the worst possible release environment.

The film also had a limited screen count of 375 shows — a strategic decision by the producers, but one that inevitably capped its commercial ceiling. Sunday’s number actually slipped below Saturday, which signals that word-of-mouth — while positive among those who watched it — simply didn’t convert into fresh footfalls fast enough.

The Critical Disconnect — and Why It Matters

Here is what makes this story genuinely worth paying attention to: critical reception for Bandar has been strong, with Bobby Deol’s performance being singled out as one of the most layered and courageous of his career. The film had already earned prestige points at TIFF 2025 before a single Indian ticket was sold.

Films like Bandar rarely find their audience in Week 1 theatrically. But their second life — on OTT, in conversations, in retrospectives — can be enormous. With Zee Studios holding distribution rights, a strong streaming debut is almost certain, and that is arguably where this film’s true audience lives.

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