Two films release this week - Prakash Jha's 'Aarakshan' and 'Phhir'. Between the two, obviously 'Aarakshan' would see better footfalls. The film comes after the super-success of Jha's last 'Raajneeti' and hence expectations are anyways sky high. However it would be wrong to assume/expect the film to take a better opening than 'Raajneeti' since the scale, setting, subject as well as cast is entirely different.

'Raajneeti' had a great pre-release hype because first and foremost it had the likes of Ajay Devgn, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal and Nana Patekar coming together which covered three generations. Moreover it had politics and Mahabharata at the core of it all, something that most Indians have an opinion on. It was promoted aggressively too which means audience were rooting for the film weeks before it's arrival.

On the other hand 'Aarakshan' is basically around reservation, a subject which isn't quite a point of everyday discussion. Also its cast, though talented, is a first for Jha which means audience are waiting to be surprised instead of keenly anticipating what really is in the offing. Moreover the film's scale too isn't seemingly as high as that of 'Raajneeti' though Jha's stranglehold over the current affairs should promise an engrossing drama.

All of this would mean that the film would open well but not on an extraordinary note. Given the fact that audience has been giving green signal to as many as five successes in a row over the last few weeks gone by, it won't be surprising if 'Aarakshan' adds on to the list. However for that the film would have to sustain well after a good word of mouth because it isn't the kind which would find itself in a make or break in a matter of one single weekend. If liked, it has a shelf life much beyond that. Expect an opening in the 50%-60% range here.

The other release of the week, though looking interesting, is marred by below average promotion. Despite the hit pairing of '1920' coming together again, Rajniesh Duggall and Adah Sharma, 'Phhir' is releasing after being ready for almost two years. Even though Vikram Bhatt is associated with the film, 'Phhir' is seeing a sudden release for itself and it would be interesting to see if it manages a good span of theatres and show timings for itself.