The new Hindi release Dhadak 2 opened to rave reviews on August 1 but could not make big numbers at the box office. It battled stiff competition from two previous Indian releases – the Hindi romantic musical Saiyaara and the mythological animated film Mahavatar Narsimha. The other new Hindi release, Son of Sardaar 2, managed to score a better figure at the ticket windows over the weekend.
Featuring Siddhant Chaturvedi (Gully Boy, Gehraiyaan) and Triptii Dimri (Animal, Qala) in lead roles, Dhadak 2 could not even cross $2 million in its first weekend worldwide. The mythological film Mahavatar Narsimha scored nearly $13 million in ten days at the global box office while Son of Sardaar 2 grossed $4 million at the global ticket windows in its first weekend.
Saiyaara outshines Dhadak 2, Son of Sardaar 2 in its third weekend
Mohit Suri’s romantic saga Saiyaara continues to woo Bollywood fans even in its third week at the box office. The film scored better than two new Hindi releases – Son of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2. Suri’s latest film is already the second highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025, according to IMDb, with a global gross collection of more than $53 million. Headlined by Vicky Kaushal, the historical war saga Chhaava remains on top of the list.
Saiyaara ranks among top-grossing films in US for third consecutive week
Saiyaara remained among the global top ten highest-grossing films worldwide for two weeks before sliding down. In its third week, the film managed to secure a spot among the top-scoring films in the US for the week ending August 2. Comscore recorded $778,000 weekend box office for the film in the USA. The Punjabi film Chal Mere Putt 4 also made it to the list. Saiyaara is loosely based on A Moment To Remember, a 2004 Korean film.
Indian actor Ahaan Panday’s debut Bollywood film Saiyaara opened in limited screens in India on July 18 – it was half the number of screens for a usual big release. After making a smashing opening of $2.5 million in India and $3 million worldwide, the film saw a soaring trend at the box office in its first week. It scored record numbers for the weekdays and closed its first week at $24 million in India and $30 million worldwide. By the time it completed 12 days at the ticket windows, Saiyaara scored nearly $45 million, according to producers Yash Raj Films.
Dhadak 2 fades amid Saiyaara wave at the box office
Dharma Productions’s new Hindi film – Dhadak 2 – is a spiritual sequel to Janhvi Kapoor and Ishaan Khatter-starrer Dhadak. The new film is a remake of the Malayalam film Pariyerum Perumal, much like the first one was a remake of the Marathi hit Sairaat. In India, Dhadak 2 made an opening score of nearly $550,000 on Friday, August 1.
Directed by Shazia Iqbal, Dhadak 2, talks about the issue of caste and gender biases in Indian society. The film, co-written by Iqbal and Rahul Badwelkar, managed to receive mostly good reviews, though the theatrical footfalls did not show a similarly shining trend.
The film did not see much of an appreciation at the box office on its second day, making a two-day total of $1 million in India. By the end of the first weekend, Dhadak 2 grossed nearly $1.6 million, according to the production house Dharma Productions. Globally, it made $1.9 million in three days at the ticket windows.
Dhadak 2 aims high – highlighting the caste and gender-based violence enmeshed in several sections of human beings – wrapped up in a typical poor-boy-meets-rich-girl love story. However, the film often crumbles under the weight of the ambitions. More often than not, caste appears to be a forced narrative instead of the tight slap of an experience that it could have been.
Dropping cliches and stereotypes in the name of showcasing the caste violence in actions and words does not quite bring the authenticity. Additionally, many college sequences appear as if the dialogues and actions were lifted from a different world and slapped on another.
Dhadak 2, nonetheless, is a brave, bold and passionate attempt. It features brilliant acting by Vipin Sharma and Saurabh Sachdeva. They lift the film several notches higher as their talent is backed by crisp and passionately written and edited scenes. Many observations of the trauma and bias that a major section of the society faces due to caste-bias are quite apt in the film. Some scenes, especially the last scene involving Sachdeva and the college and stage ones featuring Sharma, have a much louder and authentic voice than the entire film. Chaturvedi does a brilliant job of portraying the helplessness and angst of his character. Dimri, on the other hand, seems average in wake of her weak character arc.
Son of Sardaar 2 scores better than Dhadak 2 at box office
Directed by Vijay Kumar Arora, Son of Sardaar 2 has mostly received bad reviews. However, the audience have shown much love to the film, making it score better than Dhadak 2 at the box office. The film crossed $3 million at the global box office in its first weekend. Globally, it earned nearly $4 million in the first three days at the ticket windows.
The film is a sequel to Devgn’s 2012 film Son of Sardaar. The new film tells the story of a Punjabi man who travels to England to meet his wife, but circumstances throw him out of balance. How he maintains his dignity and principles despite the rollercoaster ride, forms the crux of the story. Son of Sardaar 2 offers little in the name of story – it trades rationality for stereotypes and cliched tropes. It features Devgn along with Kubbra Sait, Mrunal Thakur, Chunky Pandey, Ravi Kishan, Mukul Dev and Neeru Bajwa. The film claims to be a comedy but does not even attempt to rise above judgmental statements passed off as jokes and slapstick comedy.