Azaad, directed by Abhishek Kapoor, kicked off with disappointing numbers at the box office. The film was promoted as the acting debut of Aaman Devgan, Ajay Devgn’s nephew, and Rasha Thadani, Raveena Tandon’s daughter. Kapoor has previously introduced newcomers like Sushant Singh Rajput in Kai Po Che and Sara Ali Khan in Kedarnath, both of which turned out to be hits. Unfortunately, Azaad looks like it’s going to struggle to pick up after this lackluster debut.
According to industry tracker Sacnilk, Azaad only made Rs 1.5 crore on its first day, showing poor occupancy rates all day long. Morning shows barely registered 5% occupancy, while night shows saw 26%. The film had a strong promotional push, with both young stars hitting up events across the country, supported by their famous family members. Even before her acting debut was announced, Rasha Thadani was already a favorite with the paparazzi.
To put things in perspective, Kai Po Che opened with Rs 4.5 crore back in 2013, going on to make Rs 18 crore over its first weekend and around Rs 50 crore overall. Fast forward five years, and Kedarnath opened with Rs 6.8 crore, ending its first weekend at Rs 27 crore and totaling Rs 66 crore, according to Bollywood Hungama. Kapoor’s latest film before this one was Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui featuring Ayushmann Khurrana, which was also seen as a letdown, pulling in just Rs 28 crore domestically after a Rs 3.5 crore launch.
Azaad marks the filmmaker’s worst debut yet, which is a tough start for star kids Rasha and Aaman. It also faced competition from Kangana Ranaut’s long-awaited Emergency, which did a little better with a Rs 2.5 crore debut. The response has been lukewarm too; in her review, Shubhra Gupta from Indian Express questioned why such films are still being made in 2025 and whether Abhishek Kapoor, known for hits like ‘Kai Po Che’ and ‘Rock On,’ is really the one behind this project.
