Shahid Kapoor’s latest offering, the cop drama Deva, has not managed to set the box office on fire, collecting under ₹10 crore on its opening day. Reports indicate that the film opened to “dismal” figures in mass circuits, despite having “decent occupancy” in urban areas. Directed by Rosshan Andrews, Deva stars Shahid Kapoor alongside Pooja Hegde and is a remake of the 2013 Malayalam hit Mumbai Police, featuring an altered climax. Despite the star power and the promise of an engaging narrative, the film’s performance has been noticeably underwhelming.
Film critic Taran Adarsh described Deva as “disappointing,” noting, “Engaging in parts with some brilliantly executed sequences… Lengthy first half, uneven, slow-paced second half… Inconsistent writing is a flaw… Shahid Kapoor is outstanding, among his best works.” The film managed an opening day collection of merely ₹5.5 crore, a figure significantly lower than the debut earnings of Varun Dhawan’s action film Baby John, which earned ₹11.25 crore on its first day, despite later flopping at the box office.
The overall occupancy for Deva was reported at 10.24 percent, with night shows performing slightly better at 16.15 percent. The initial response indicates that Deva faces an uphill battle, needing strong word-of-mouth to recover its standing at the box office. The film features a robust supporting cast, including Pavail Gulati, Pravesh Rana, Kubbra Sait, Girish Kulkarni, Manish Wadhwa, and Gaurav More in pivotal roles. Released on January 31, the film aimed to leverage Shahid Kapoor’s devoted fanbase and the success of previous cop dramas.
With this disappointing launch, Deva’s potential for recovery remains uncertain. Only time will tell if Shahid Kapoor’s Deva can gain momentum in the coming days or if it will unfortunately fizzle out at the box office.
