Shabaash Mithu box office day 1 collection: Taapsee Pannu’s Mithali Raj biopic finds few takers, opens at just ₹40 lakh

Taapsee Pannu-starrer Shabaash Mithu has had a less-than-auspicious start at the box office, opening with day one collections of just ₹40 lakh across India, as per reports. The film, a biopic of Indian cricket legend Mithali Raj, has been directed by Srijit Mukherji, and is the first of a long list of Hindi films based on female cricketers. However, despite a popular subject and a bankable actor, the film has opened to extremely low numbers, making chances of a recovery over the weekend very slim. Also read: Shabaash Mithu review: Taapsee Pannu film is just a Mithali Raj career highlight reel

Sahabaash Mithu is the official biopic of former Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj and shows her 23-year-long journey in the world of cricket. The film, as per its makers, is a journey of Mithali’s life and also chronicle of the growth of women’s cricket in India in the 21st century.

According to a report in Box Office India, the Taapsee Pannu film has opened at ₹40 lakh and there is ‘little hope’ for the film after such a low start. The film has a massive production budget and a grand scale, which means it will struggle to recover its investment unless satellite and digital rights push the numbers into the profit zone.

The film has not received favourable reviews from the critics as well with many saying it is too loud and often tends to be just a highlight reel of Mithali’s career. The Hindustan Times review of the film reads, “Shabaash Mithu is, in many ways, the movie you expect. Another loud, unsubtle sports biopic that lives in service of underlining its heavy-handed underdog message. But somewhere within its shrill mainstream grammar, there is also a quieter, more intimate human drama.”

The film will be followed by another cricket biopic featuring a big star, when Anushka Sharma-starrer Chakda Xpress releases on Netflix later this year. The film is the biopic of Mithali’s longtime teammate, fast bowler Jhulan Goswami. In addition, Janhvi Kapoor is also playing a cricketer in one of her upcoming films.