Although Salman Khan’s action-thriller Tiger 3 has not exactly set the box office afire, trade sources believe the ‘aatish-baazi’ of the Diwali release is strong enough to sink Aatish Kapadia’s comedy-drama sequel Khichdi 2 that will release in theatres this Friday.

A solid pre-release buzz at the start of the festive season took YRF’s Spyverse starring Salman and Katrina Kaif roaring across domestic and international markets. The excitement will be felt till this weekend. Which means Khichdi 2 is assured of a below average opening at the box office.

The sequel to 2010’s Khichdi has zero buzz. Starring veterans like Anang Desai, Supriya Pathak Kapur, Rajeev Mehta, Vandana Pathak, Jamnadas Majethia and Kirti Kulhari, the trailer didn’t raise laughs. Its punchlines were unfunny and forced. The story didn’t appeal to even those who grew up watching the cult classic TV series. 

Trade pundits say when Tiger 3 is roaring, there is no hope for a film like Khichdi 2 to survive. Due to the hype around Tiger 3, OTT films like Pippa (Ishaan Khatter) went unnoticed. Tara Sutaria’s Apurva, which will release this week on Disney+ Hotstar, has also failed to garner much interest.  

Khichdi was the first Indian TV series to be adapted into a film. It faced stiff competition in 2010 from Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor’s Anjaana Anjaani and Rajnikanth-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Robot. Khichdi earned Rs. 8.1 crores and struggled to touch the boundary of being called a ‘hit’.