Actor Dhanush's latest movie Karnan has opened to a thunderous response at the box office despite the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in the country. According to reports, the film grossed Rs 10 .5 crore in Tamil Nadu on day 1 and emerged as the best opener of the Maari hero's career. This is also the first time D's film has crossed double figures on the first day.
The film has set a record in Chennai as well. According to industry tracker LM Kaushik, it grossed around Rs 92 lakh and beat Vada Chennai with ease. The Vetrimaaran-helmed drama had opened at Rs 81 lakh. Karnan's box office performance in Chennai is comparable to that of Kamal Haasan's 2018 release Vishwaroopam 2, which is no mean feat.
The Mari Selvaraj-directed movie has received rave reviews with most critics praising the hard-hitting narrative and realistic presentation. Dhanush has received praise for his powerful performance with many describing it at par with the one delivered by him in Asuran, a film that helped him bag the National Award for 'Best Actor'. The word of mouth is exceptionally good, which should benefit the movie in the long run. It will, however, not be able to reach its potential on day 2 as theatres in Tamil Nadu will operate at 50 per cent capacity from today to ensure social distancing.
Karnan is the second directorial venture of Mari Selvaraj's career and is touted to be a worthy successor to his debut film Pariyerum Perumal. It is not related to the yesteryear classic of the same name, which featured Sivaji Ganesan and Sr NTR in the lead.
Dhanush, meanwhile, is going through a busy phase on the work front and will soon be seen in the Karthik Subbaraj-helmed Jagame Thandhiram. The gangster drama will be releasing digitally later this year, He also has the Bollywood film Atrangi Re, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Sara Ali Khan, and the Hollywood movie The Gray Man in his kitty.