The box office battle this weekend has a clear winner, and unfortunately it is not Vijay Varma and Fatima Sana Shaikh‘s Gustaakh Ishq. The film, which marks fashion designer Manish Malhotra’s directorial debut, had a disappointing opening day at the box office. The romantic drama earned just Rs 0.50 crore on its first day, getting completely overshadowed by the Dhanush and Kriti Sanon starrer Tere Ishk Mein.
For a film that carried the expectations of being a fresh pairing with an old school romantic story, these numbers are not encouraging. The movie opened not in crores but in lakhs, which is a tough start for any theatrical release.
Tere Ishk Mein Dominates The Box Office
While Gustaakh Ishq struggled to find an audience, Tere Ishk Mein got a bumper opening. The Hindi version of the film earned over Rs 15 crore on day 1, which is a huge achievement considering even Bollywood superstars are finding it tough to achieve double digit openings these days. This massive difference in collections shows just how much Gustaakh Ishq got overshadowed on its opening day.
The competition at the box office is intense right now. With Tere Ishk Mein taking the lead and even Ajay Devgn’s De De Pyaar De 2 in the mix, smaller films like Gustaakh Ishq are finding it very difficult to get audience attention.
Can The Film Recover On Day 2?
Box office trends do suggest that Gustaakh Ishq could witness slight growth on day 2. However, Tere Ishk Mein still appears to be taking the lead and is most likely to dominate for a while. The film might suffer from the intense competition from both Tere Ishk Mein and De De Pyaar De 2.
There is one silver lining though. The film is reportedly made on a lower budget of Rs 25 crore. Even if the movie earns around Rs 10 crore at the box office, it might still be able to recover costs through digital rights and other revenue streams that have already been sold.
An Old School Romance In Modern Times
Gustaakh Ishq is an old school romance presented in times where high concept films and big action dramas dominate. The film also stars veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah and Sharib Hashmi in pivotal roles. While the pairing of Vijay Varma and Fatima Sana Shaikh was fresh and the film had the backing of Manish Malhotra as director, it clearly was not enough to draw audiences to theatres on opening day.
The film will need strong word of mouth and positive reviews to turn things around over the weekend. Otherwise, it might have a very short theatrical run before heading to streaming platforms.
About Gustaakh Ishq
Gustaakh Ishq is a Bollywood romantic drama directed by Manish Malhotra in his directorial debut. The film stars Vijay Varma and Fatima Sana Shaikh in the lead roles, along with Naseeruddin Shah and Sharib Hashmi in pivotal roles. The film released in cinemas on November 28, 2025, and will reportedly land on streaming platforms after its theatrical run.
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