Rabb Da Radio 2 beats stiff competition at the UK Box Office
The last Friday of March saw cinema-goers spoilt for choice as a rush of much anticipated films were released on the same day. As well as the Hollywood stunning CGI live remake of the classic “Dumbo”, Indian cinema saw the release of Bollywood films “Notebook” produced by Salman Khan, “Junglee” directed by the multi award winning Hollywood director Chuck Russell and regional cinema film “Rabb Da Radio 2”, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Punjabi movie of the same name starring Tarsem Jassar and Simi Chahal.
With the first weekend over, initial reports suggest the regional film has trumped the other two major mainstream Bollywood films at the UK box office. This is despite ‘Rabb Da Radio 2’ being given a lot less screen time compared to ‘Notebook’ and ‘Junglee’. Over the weekend on average, selected cinemas in the UK, gave ‘Notebook’ five showings a day, ‘Junglee’ four times a day whilst ‘Rabb Da Radio 2’ was only given a single showing. The contrasting screen time however didn’t stop ‘Rabb Da Radio 2’ minting nearly three times as much at the box office compared the much hyped “Notebook”.
Punjabi cinema (Pollywood) has definitely grown over the years, with more mature films helping to create a resurgence of sorts with Punjabi films being appreciated not in North India region but also overseas. It is now not uncommon for Pollywood films to top international business charts in territories like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, regularly beating big-ticket Bollywood flicks. Directed by debut director Sharan Art, ‘Rabb Da Radio 2’ is the latest to achieve this feat. With its heartwarming, emotive and relatable story in addition to the powerful performances from Tarsem Jassar, Simi Chahal, BN Sharma and Avtar Gill, this film has won the hearts of fans of Punjabi cinema.
With the early success of ‘Rabb Da Radio 2’ at the box office, despite the stiff competition, cinemas and theatres across the overseas territories especially here in the UK, will be forced to reconsider the amount of screen time allocated to regional films.
Rabb Da Radio 2 in your local cinemas now!
write up by Kirat Raj Singh