Har Har Mahadev: Sharad Kelkar film outdoes Thank God in some regions; sees one of Marathi cinema's best-ever openings

Marathi film Har Har Mahadev has not just registered one of the best opening days for the industry but also outperformed Bollywood film Thank God in parts of Maharashtra.

Diwali has been fruitful not just for Hindi cinema but also for the Marathi film industry. On Tuesday, alongside Bollywood releases Ram Setu and Thank God, Marathi historical drama Har Har Mahadev was also released. The Sharad Kelkar-starrer has earned over ₹2 crore nett on its release day, which is among the highest openings for a Marathi film.

Sharad Kelkar in a still from Marathi film Har Har Mahadev.

Directed by Abhijeet Shirish Deshpande, Har Har Mahadev is inspired by the true story of Maratha commander Baji Prabhu Deshpande’s legendary rear guard battle that enabled Shivaji’s escape from the Sinhala Fort. Sharad Kelkar plays the commander in the film, which has received critical acclaim.

As per multiple trade sources, Har Har Mahadev earned between ₹2-2.2 crore nett across India on Tuesday, with the bulk of its earnings coming from the state of Maharashtra. In certain pockets in the state, it did better business than even Thank God, the Hindi film starring Ajay Devgn and Sidharth Malhotra that released on the same day.

Two other Marathi films released this year--Pawankhind and Chandramukhi also earned in the same range on their respective opening days. The fact that Pawankhind is the third-highest-grossing Marathi film of all time should be encouraging signs for Har Har Mahadev. The Marathi opening day collection record belongs to Sairat, which earned ₹3.6 crore on its release day in 2016. Riteish Deshmukh’s Lai Bhaari is the only other Marathi film to earn more than ₹3 crore on day one.

Given its positive word of mouth and historical appeal, Har Har Mahadev has the potential to breach the ₹40-crore mark, industry insiders say. It should be noted that only six Marathi films have ever breached that mark. Just how far Har Har Mahadev goes will completely depend on its first weekend and the way it holds after the crucial first Monday drop.