Assi Vs Thappad Vs Mulk Box Office: A Hattrick Of Hits For Taapsee Pannu-Anubhav Sinha Duo?

The actor-director duo of Taapsee Pannu and Anubhav Sinha is known for making issue based movies. Their previous collaborations, Mulk (2018) and Thappad (2020), dealt with contemporary issues plaguing the country. In Mulk, the themes of religious prejudice are explored and in Thappad, domestic violence is the central theme. In Assi, a courtroom drama, the team draws attention to the alarming rise in sexual violence against women in India, with "Assi" (80) representing daily reported cases.

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At the box office, Anubhav and Taapsee's pairing has delivered back-to-back hits. Since these are issue based films, they are made on a controlled budget and then recovery becomes easy and even profits are maximised. With Assi, running in cinema halls for over two weeks now, here's how it has fared in comparison to Mulk and Thappad.

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Mulk and Thappad earned critical praise and tasted commercial success

Made on ₹19 crore budget, Mulk ended up grossing over ₹30 crore worldwide during its run back in 2018. The duo of Taapsee and Anubhav then collaborated on Thappad, which released in 2020. Made in approximately ₹24 crore investment, the film went on to collect over ₹44 crore worldwide, emerging as a hit. Beyond box office figures, both Mulk and Thappad have etched a place in viewers' memories for their storytelling and how the hard-hitting concepts have been executed onscreen. Much discussed has also been the fact that how Anubhav uses the "female gaze" to show the woman's perspective in these stories.

Can Assi make it a hattrick of hits for Taapsee and Anubhav?

With Assi, expectations have been similar. The movie revolves around sexual violence against women in India, but also blends elements of thriller. Reportedly, the film has been made on ₹40 crore budget. At the box office, it has collected ₹9.59 crore in India in 15 days. Despite glowing reviews and no other prominent Hindi release running in cinema halls alongside it, Assi has failed to find audiences, resulting in low collection.