The Big Picture

Salaar: Part 1 & Dunki are attracting audiences globally, with Salaar outpacing Dunki at the box office. Salaar has become the seventh-biggest Indian film of 2023. Salaar has crossed the ₹500 crore ($60 million) mark at the global box office, while Dunki has crossed the $35 million milestone. Salaar has also performed exceptionally well in North America. Salaar is directed by Prashanth Neel and is a grungier experience compared to Dunki. It is set in an alternate history and caters directly to Prabhas’ considerable fandom, following his success with the Baahubali films.

After debuting in the top five of the global box office chart during the extended Christmas weekend, the Indian films Salaar: Part 1 — Ceasefire and Dunki are continuing to pull crowds a few days into their worldwide release. Starring Prabhas, the Telugu-language action-thriller Salaar is out-pacing the Hindi-language comedy-drama Dunki, starring Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan. It passed a major milestone at the global box office on its sixth day in theaters, and is now the seventh-biggest Indian film of 2023.

According to the film’s producers, Hombale Films, Salaar has passed the ₹500 crore ($60 million) mark at the global box office, while Dunki recently passed the $35 million milestone. Of this $60 million haul, over $7 million has come from domestic theaters, making Salaar one of the biggest Indian hits of the year in North America. The top two titles on this list are Pathaan and Jawan, both of which, incidentally, star SRK.

The Bollywood superstar has had a phenomenal 2023, having delivered a combined total of $300 million worldwide across three films. And even though Dunki isn’t performing to the level of his two previous blockbusters, it wasn’t really supposed to. While Pathaan and Jawan were big-budget action films modeled on the Mission: Impossible and Marvel movies, Dunki is a dramedy that feels in line with director Rajkumar Hirani’s past crowd-pleasers. Hirani hasn’t directed a flop in his entire two-decade career, and is often regarded as one of Hindi (or Bollywood) cinema’s most bankable filmmakers.

Not Every Indian Film Is a “Bollywood” Movie

Salaar, on the other hand, is a grungier experience. The film is directed by Prashanth Neel, who rose to fame through his action-packed KGF duology. The second KGF, starring Yash, was the top-grossing Indian film of 2022, generating over $160 million worldwide — this is greater than the lifetime global haul delivered by the crossover hit RRR. Intended to be the first installment of a franchise, Salaar is set in an alternate history, in a world dominated by warring tribes. While dubbed versions were released in multiple Indian languages, it is predominantly a Telugu-language film, catering directly to Prabhas’ considerable fandom. India has several independent film industries, divided on the basis of language and religion. Some movies, like Salaar, end up crossing over into different regions across the nation, and across the world.

Prabhas emerged as one of India’s highest-paid stars following the success of his two Baahubali movies between 2015 and 2017. Directed by RRR’s S.S. Rajamouli, the Baahubali films grossed a combined total over nearly $300 million worldwide, and the second film remains the highest-grossing Indian title of all time in North America. But Prabhas wasn’t able to replicate their success, starring in three successive big-budget bombs, the latest of which — Adipurush — was released earlier this year. Salaar seems to have turned things around for him. The actor will reprise his role in the follow-up, titled Salaar: Part 2 – Shouryaanga Parvam, but before that, he’ll star in what is reportedly the most expensive Indian film of all time, Kalki 2898 AD. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.

Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire A gang leader tries to keep a promise made to his dying friend and takes on the other criminal gangs. Release Date December 23, 2023 Director Prashanth Neel Cast Prabhas , Prithviraj Sukumaran Runtime 175 minutes