Meghna Gulzar’s crime thriller Daayra picked up pace on its second day, collecting Rs 1.60 crore net in India on Saturday, a jump of 60 per cent over its opening day, according to industry tracker Sacnilk.

The Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran-starrer had earned around Rs 1 crore net on Friday. With Saturday’s numbers added, the film’s two-day India net collection stands at Rs 2.60 crore, while its India gross collection has reached Rs 3.10 crore.

Saturday brings the jump

Daayra recorded an overall occupancy of 20.46 per cent on Saturday across 2,062 shows. The momentum built through the day: morning shows saw 8.15 per cent occupancy, rising to 19.77 per cent in the afternoon, 27.23 per cent in the evening and 26.69 per cent at night.

Among major centres, Bengaluru led with 45.3 per cent overall occupancy, followed by Chennai at 28.5 per cent, Bhopal at 26 per cent and Pune at 24 per cent. The National Capital Region recorded 23 per cent occupancy, while Mumbai registered 20 per cent.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh noted that the film had a compact release across 700 cinemas with no promotional offers, calling the Day 1 evening trend encouraging. The makers have introduced a buy-one-get-one ticket offer for Saturday and Sunday to push footfalls further.

A serious film with a serious subject

Daayra, which released on September 18, marks the first-time pairing of Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran. The investigative crime drama, inspired by a true event, has drawn strong reviews for its performances, sharp direction and gripping moral conflict.

Critics have praised the film for tackling its sensitive subject with maturity, with several calling it one of Gulzar’s finest works. Word of mouth appears to be doing the heavy lifting, with Saturday’s growth suggesting organic audience engagement.

The road ahead remains long, though. Against a reported production budget of around Rs 55 crore, the film has recovered only a small fraction of its cost so far. Sunday’s numbers will be crucial in deciding whether Daayra can build a sustained theatrical run in the open window before bigger releases arrive.