The romantic offering ‘Gustaakh Ishq,’ starring Vijay Varma and Fatima Sana Shaikh, began its theatrical run on November 28. Vibhu Puri’s directorial venture, set in the nostalgic backdrop of the 1990s, aims to evoke a sense of poetry and classic romance. However, the film encountered a formidable box-office adversary in ‘Tere Ishk Mein,’ a film featuring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon.
Day one box office figures for ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ indicate a quiet start, with early estimates placing the collection at Rs 50 lakh. The nationwide Hindi occupancy rate was reported at 8.61%, suggesting a slow uptake by audiences, particularly when compared to the massive opening day earnings of ‘Tere Ishk Mein,’ which reached Rs 16.50 crore.
While morning and afternoon shows saw moderate attendance, occupancy for ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ saw a modest rise to 20.96% during the night shows. In terms of specific cities, Surat demonstrated the highest occupancy at 23.50%, followed by Chennai at 21%. Mumbai reported 10.75% occupancy, with Delhi-NCR at 8%.
The film’s worldwide first-day gross is estimated at Rs 60 lakh. ‘Gustaakh Ishq’ benefits from the talents of music director Vishal Bhardwaj, lyricist Gulzar, sound designer Resul Pookutty, and cinematographer Manush Nandan. The cast features Vijay Varma, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, and Sharib Hashmi. This film also marks the production debut of renowned designer Manish Malhotra.