Ali Fazal is marking a box-office milestone the way few stars do—by turning his thank-you note into a push for another film. As Mirzapur: The Movie completed a month in theatres, the actor thanked fans for a run that has now crossed ₹330 crore gross worldwide, and then asked them to carry the same energy to Ajay Devgn’s Drishyam: The Conclusion.
The quiet hit that kept building
Mirzapur: The Movie opened on September 4 and has stayed in cinemas for four weeks. It has collected ₹231 crore net in India and over ₹330 crore gross worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing Indian films of the year. The film’s biggest surprise is that it did this without a conventional big-star opening. Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal and Divyenndu lead a cast whose power comes from a streaming fandom and an existing story world.
The film continues the Amazon Prime Video series, with Tripathi as Kaleen Bhaiya, Fazal as Guddu Pandit and Divyenndu as Munna Bhaiya. Ravi Kishan plays the antagonist. Directed by Gurmmeet Singh and written by Puneet Krishna, it is presented by Amazon MGM Studios and Excel Entertainment.
- ₹231 crore net in India, over ₹330 crore gross worldwide in one month
- A sleeper hit with no traditional big-star-led opening
- Among the year’s highest-grossing Indian films already
A thank-you note with a second act
In an Instagram selfie note, Fazal wrote that his film completed a month and that the team did something right. He thanked the audience, then gave the note a deliberate second act. “Now go watch Drishyam 3. And other films. You have been an awesome audience. Keep the theatres alive,” he added. The message was not a rivalry warning; it was a nudge to keep the theatrical window alive.
His timing is sharp. Drishyam: The Conclusion opened on October 2 and crossed ₹150 crore net in India within three days. Its worldwide opening weekend stood at ₹270 crore gross. Ajay Devgn returns as Vijay Salgaonkar, Tabu is back as Meera Deshmukh, and Jaideep Ahlawat joins the investigation as a new police officer.
Why the cross-title push matters
For theatre-first audiences, this is exactly the energy the exhibition sector needs. Fazal could have used his milestone to keep the spotlight on Mirzapur. Instead, he treated his own hit as a discovery engine for the next film. That matters because a large portion of the Mirzapur audience is the natural target for a tense crime thriller such as Drishyam 3.
The moment also reflects a shift in how OTT-born properties and franchise sequels can share space in cinemas rather than compete for the same weekend. When a lead actor passes the spotlight, fans are more likely to see both releases. The short-term effect is extra footfall for Drishyam 3; the longer-term effect is goodwill for Fazal and for the idea that cinemas can host multiple winners at once.
What to do
If you want to join the conversation, catch Mirzapur: The Movie while it is still playing and book Drishyam: The Conclusion during its first-week run. The big-screen experience is the point of both titles, and the audience push from Fazal is a reminder that a film’s success can feed the next release.
Source: Hindustan Times
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