'Ram Leela' rakes in Rs 50 crore in its first weekend

The nation is yet to fully reconcile with the fact that Sachin Tendulkar has finally retired from cricket -- at least as a player. Deservingly enough, his touching farewell speech on the weekend welled up millions of eyes. Whether such emotional upheaval directly contributed to the decline in box-office remains open to debate but it's an interesting conjecture.u00a0

Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh in 'Ram-Leela'

According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Ram-Leela has earned nett collection north of Rs 50 crore during the weekend. He also adds that the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film has overtaken Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Krrish 3 in overseas collection in terms of opening weekend business. "Ram-Leela is doing fantastic business not only in the country but also abroad. It's having a good run," points out Taran.

Taran breaks down the weekend collection as follows: Friday Rs 16 crore, Saturday Rs 17.25 crore and Sunday Rs 19.25 crore to Rs 19.50 crore.

However, Rajesh Thadani begs to differ a bit. According to the Mumbai-based distributor, Ram-Leela must have garnered not more than Rs 45 crore during the weekend. "The curiosity level for the film is definitely there and Monday's collection will prove to be the difference. Having said that, I feel the hungama surrounding the court case in Gujarat against the film's title didn't help. For a big-budget movie, no figure is sufficient enough and I think it could have done a lot better. We'll have to wait and see what happens this week," adds Rajesh.

On the other hand, Kangna Ranaut-starring Rajjo didn't create ripples. Poor is the word for the kind of money it has made so far. "Around two to three crores…almost negligible for a film that even has a big name attached to it," informs Rajesh.

In the coming days, it'd be worth noting whether Krrish 3 ultimately reaches the Rs 300 crore club or not. Also, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, starring Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan goes head-to-head with Singh Saab the Great, starring Sunny Deol, on Friday. u00a0