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Friday August 1 saw two big Bollywood releases — Son of Sardaar 2 starring Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur and Dhadak 2 fronted by Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi. But instead of dominating theatres both titles have been overshadowed by the roaring success of Saiyara and Mahavatar Narasimha which continue to pull in crowds. The question now — who’s faring better in this lukewarm duel? Son of Sardaar 2: A slow ride after a decent start The action entertainer opened its account with a respectable Rs 7.25 crore on Day 1. However momentum fizzled out in the second week. On its 10th day (Sunday) the film brought in Rs 3.75 crore a dip from the Rs 4 crore it collected the previous Saturday. By Day 11 Monday’s early estimates suggested a meagre Rs 62 lakh so far with a possibility of a slight bump by the end of the night. Why the struggle despite a strong cast? Even with names like Ravi Kishan Mukul Dev Kubbra Sait and Neeru Bajwa in the mix the film’s numbers remain modest. Son of Sardaar 2 closed its first week with Rs 33 crore and the total now stands at Rs 42.62 crore after 11 days. The challenge? Reports peg the production cost at around Rs 100 crore — meaning the film hasn’t even crossed the halfway mark of its budget. Dhadak 2: Romance fails to spark magic On the other side Dhadak 2 arrived with the promise of a heartfelt romantic drama rooted in the realities of caste divide. But despite the emotional premise and a fresh pairing the film hasn’t managed to strike gold. Sunday collections for Day 10 stood at Rs 1.65 crore. Monday’s early trends indicate just Rs 41 lakh bringing its total tally to Rs 20.81 crore. For a mainstream Bollywood release those numbers don’t quite spell success. The verdict so far: Who’s winning? If we’re only counting the rupees Son of Sardaar 2 leads the race with double the lifetime collection of Dhadak 2. But industry insiders are quick to point out — when weighed against its budget the Ajay Devgn starrer’s performance is far from satisfactory. Meanwhile Saiyara and Mahavatar Narasimha continue their dream run dominating single screens and multiplexes alike leaving these new releases to fight for scraps of audience attention What’s next? With mid-August bringing fresh releases and big-banner competition both Son of Sardaar 2 and Dhadak 2 will need nothing short of a miracle to recover ground. For now it’s a reminder that in Bollywood star names don’t always guarantee box office glory — sometimes timing and audience pulse are the real kings.