Mumbai is experiencing a unique cinematic phenomena as a result of a wild public demand for midnight and post-midnight screenings of Laxman Utekar’s Chhaava, which stars Vicky Kaushal, Rashmika Mandanna, and Akshaye Khanna. Produced by Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films, the period action movie is playing to crowded houses. In some locations in Mumbai, show times are running as late as 12:45 am, 1:00 am, 1:15 am, and even 1:30 am.

It is quite rare for a movie to be shown at 1:30 in the morning. Several movies, including Drishyam 2, Jawan, Pathaan, Animal, Street 2, Shaitaan, Sooryavanshi have been allowed to screen beyond midnight. The only female-led movie with post-midnight shows is Gangubai Kathiawadi. Hollywood has accomplished this with movies like Oppenheimer, Avatar: The Way of Water in India.

However a superstar plays the lead in every Hindi film that has obtained post-midnight screenings to date. This award has never been given to a budding star like Vicky Kaushal, until Chhaava. In addition to his popularity one of the main causes of the movie’s frenzy is Maharashtra’s respect for Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj whose life it is based on.

On Friday, February 14th Chhaava made Rs. 33.10 crores at its Indian premiere. It is now anticipated that the film will easily surpass Rs. 100 crores in its first weekend of release.

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