Released on the occasion of India’s 73rd Independence Day on 15th August, Mission Mangal (2018) has set the cash registers jingling at the box-office. Made on a shoestring budget of ₹ 32 crores, the sci-fi film went on to record an opening of ₹ 29.16 crores, which is the highest opening figure for each and every cast member associated with the movie.
Featuring Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Kirti Kulhari and Nithya Menen alongside Akshay Kumar, the film has now zoomed past the coveted ₹ 100 crore mark. Actress Taapsee Pannu, who played an important part in Mission Mangal, is overwhelmed to see the kind of response the film has generated.
Talking about the same, she told an entertainment portal, “It’s a really good sign that people have been so receptive of a film that not only has big names attached to it but also has good content. We have always been seeing thunderous openings for movies that only had pure commercial masala elements but this is like a big step towards the direction where films that are heavy on content are also making a big opening. Of course, it has to be with the right names attached to it. For me also, it’s a huge opening. It’s the biggest opening for all of us, be it Akshay sir, Vidya, me, Sonakshi, Nithya, Kirti or Sharman. That makes it special and we are very proud of it.”
Directed by debutant filmmaker Jagan Shakti, Mission Mangal is produced by Cape of Good Films, Hope Productions and Fox Star Studios. It is loosely based on the scientists at Indian Space Research Organisation who contributed to the Mars Orbiter Mission, India's first interplanetary expedition.