Sanjay Dutt’s highly anticipated return to a solo lead role has met with a catastrophic fate at the box office. His latest crime thriller, Aakhri Sawal, finally made it to the big screen on Friday, May 15, 2026, after facing a week-long delay due to certification hurdles with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). However, the delay proved fatal for the film’s minimal momentum.
According to early estimates provided by industry tracker Sacnilk, the movie registered a disastrous opening day collection of just ₹40 lakh nett across India, failing to even breach the coveted ₹1 crore milestone.
The Supporting Star Dilemma: Dutt Fails to Draw Solo Audiences
In recent years, Sanjay Dutt has enjoyed massive box office success and critical acclaim by reinventing himself as a formidable antagonist or key supporting character in mega-blockbusters like KGF: Chapter 2 and Leo.
Aakhri Sawal was viewed as a litmus test to determine if the veteran actor still possessed the solo box office pull to command theater occupancies on his own name. Unfortunately, below-average pre-release buzz, a complete lack of ground promotional campaigns, and minimal advance bookings resulted in empty auditoriums nationwide, leaving the film stranded right from its morning shows.
Bleak Weekend Outlook Against a Modest Production Budget
While the production banner has maintained silence regarding the official economics of the project, trade reports suggest that Aakhri Sawal was mounted on a modest budget of ₹30 to ₹40 crore. Given that baseline, a ₹40 lakh opening day means the movie faces an uphill battle just to recover its distribution costs.
Film critics have handed out overwhelmingly mixed-to-negative reviews, noting that even die-hard fans will be deeply disappointed by the distinct lack of Dutt’s trademark screen presence and “Baba-isms.” Barring an unprecedented, miraculous surge in ticket sales over Saturday and Sunday, the film is on track to end its theatrical run as an outright flop.