The rom-com, which also marks debutante Aafiya Sayed's first release, managed just 10 lakh on Monday and is staring at a lifetime total under 3 crore.
Prem Keetanu opened on October 2 and it's already over. Veer Pahariya's second film as a lead, co-starring debutante Aafiya Sayed, dropped 80 percent on its first Monday, according to Koimoi, pulling in just 10 lakh net across 685 shows with an occupancy of 7 percent. For context, a film needs to hold its decline under 40 percent to pass what trade trackers call the Monday test. Prem Keetanu didn't come close.
The numbers tell a grim story from day one. The film opened to 50 lakh net, hardly the start a studio hopes for, and then simply refused to grow. It took three full days to cross the 1 crore mark, which in trade terms is about as flat a trajectory as a theatrical release can have. Mixed to negative reviews didn't help, and neither did the timing.
Prem Keetanu released the same Friday as Ajay Devgn's Drishyam 3, and got buried in what Koimoi described as the bigger film's storm. Going up against a known franchise with an established audience was always a risk for a newcomer-led rom-com with no major pre-release buzz, and that risk hasn't paid off.
A rough solo debut for Pahariya
This is Veer Pahariya's first outing as a solo lead. He debuted in 2025 with Sky Force, a film that benefited heavily from Akshay Kumar's presence and did reasonably well as a result. Prem Keetanu was supposed to be the test of whether he could carry a film on his own. By the numbers so far, that test hasn't gone his way, this is reportedly the lowest total of his short career.
The film also marks Aafiya Sayed's debut, and brings in Aparshakti Khurrana, Nikhil Vijay and Rakesh Bedi in supporting roles. It's directed by Apoorv Singh Karki and produced by Gaurav Verma under Avanika Films, Bhavana Studios and Phars Film, with Phars Film also handling distribution.
At this pace, trade estimates put the film's theatrical run finishing below 3 crore, a number that barely registers against the kind of marketing push a Hindi theatrical release usually gets. There's no second-weekend scenario here, no word-of-mouth rescue in sight. With occupancy already down to single digits and shows being pulled, exhibitors are likely to trim the film's screen count further through the week rather than wait for a turnaround that isn't coming.
What happens next is less about Prem Keetanu itself and more about what it means for Pahariya's next moves, and whether studios still bet on him as a solo draw after this. For now, the film's box office story is basically written, and it isn't a happy one.
Be the first to comment
Join the argument. No password, just your email or a passkey.