Kantara Chapter 1 Dominates Box Office on Dussehra Amidst Multi-Film Clash
Mumbai, 3rd October 2025: Dussehra and Gandhi Jayanti, two of the biggest occasions for film releases, witnessed a fierce battle at the box office this year as four major films competed for audience attention.
The Kannada thriller Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1, the Bollywood romantic comedy Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, Jolly LLB 3, and Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG were all vying for top spots during the holiday weekend.
Among them, Rishabh Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 emerged as the clear winner. According to SacNilk, the film, a prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara, earned a staggering ₹60 crore on its opening day, marking one of the year’s biggest openings. The movie had been eagerly awaited for the past three years, and the release lived up to the hype.
In comparison, Bollywood’s Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari, featuring Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor, Sanya Malhotra, and Rohit Saraf, collected ₹9.25 crore on its first day. The romantic comedy generated buzz but could not match the record-breaking opening of Kantara Chapter 1.
Older films in the race also performed well. Pawan Kalyan’s They Call Him OG earned ₹7.50 crore on its eighth day, outperforming Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari in terms of sustained audience interest. On the other hand, Jolly LLB 3, starring Akshay Kumar and Arshad Warsi, struggled to make an impact, grossing just ₹2.1 crore on its fifteenth day.
This year’s Dussehra box office battle highlights the growing influence of regional cinema in India, as Kannada films continue to challenge Bollywood releases for audience dominance.
