Prahaar Box Office: Rajkummar Rao Film Opens at ₹2.35 Cr

Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, the Rajkummar Rao drama about the prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, opened in theatres on October 16, 2026. Sacnilk and the Times of India put its day-one India net at ₹2.35 crore. These are trade estimates, and early figures are often revised.

The opening figures

According to Sacnilk and the Times of India, the film earned ₹2.35 crore net in India on its first day, with a gross of ₹2.77 crore and a worldwide gross of ₹3.52 crore. It played across 4,133 shows with an average occupancy of about 13 per cent.

That is a quiet start. For comparison, Koimoi's record of 2026 openers includes Welcome to the Jungle at ₹19.4 crore and Cocktail 2 at ₹14.1 crore on day one, both far larger. Prahaar is a different kind of film, a courtroom and crime drama without a franchise name, so a smaller opening is expected, and the weekend will say more.

The story and the cast

Avinash Arun directs the film for Maddock Films, with Dinesh Vijan as producer. Rajkummar Rao plays Ujjwal Nikam, the special public prosecutor known for his role in high-profile terror cases including the trial of Ajmal Kasab. Lalit Prabhakar plays Kasab. Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sikandar Kher, Ashish Vidyarthi and Nassar are also in the cast. Vishal Mishra and Emiway Bantai composed the music.

The delays

The release moved several times. It was first set for August 7, then September 4, and finally October 16, in each case to avoid a clash with other releases, according to the reports we found.

An actor who stepped away

Aamir Khan was initially set to play Nikam and stepped down, according to published reports. Rajkummar Rao took the role. We have not found a statement from either actor on the reasons, so we do not offer any.

The reviews

Early reviews were positive, in the range of 3.5 to 4 out of 5 from the outlets we saw. Rotten Tomatoes lists 60 per cent from 10 reviews. Some critics noted Rao's Marathi accent, and some felt that Wamiqa Gabbi had a limited role.

Rajkummar Rao's year

Prahaar is Rao's second 2026 project in our coverage. Toaster, a black comedy thriller, premiered on Netflix on April 15. The two films could hardly be more different, and Rao is a producer on Toaster.

What the weekend will show

A day-one number of ₹2.35 crore and 13 per cent occupancy are modest. A film's second and third days can rise sharply if reviews bring audiences in, which is why trackers publish weekend figures. We did not have weekend numbers at the time of writing, so we make no prediction. Readers should check Sacnilk and Koimoi for updated figures, expecting them to differ by a small margin.

What we know and do not know

We know the release date, the cast, the director, the producer, the day-one estimate and the early review range. We do not know the budget, the weekend total or the eventual verdict. The film's subject, a real prosecutor, also means that its portrayal of real events will be discussed by critics and audiences, but we have not seen any published dispute over its accuracy and we do not report one.

The bottom line

Prahaar opened modestly, with positive early reviews and a real-life subject. Its first weekend will be the first real indicator of whether word of mouth can lift it. Until then, the safest summary is a ₹2.35 crore India net opening, a 13 per cent occupancy and a critical response that is warmer than the numbers.

Sources

*Cover photo: Maximilian Bühn, Wikimedia Commons, *[*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rajkummar_Rao_World_Premiere_Newton_Zoopalast_Berlinale_2017_01.jpg*](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rajkummar_Rao_World_Premiere_Newton_Zoopalast_Berlinale_2017_01.jpg)* (CC BY-SA 4.0).*