The Punjabi romantic drama Ishqan De Lekhe is witnessing a steady run at the box office. Led by Gurnam Bhullar, the film has collected approximately Rs. 7.50 crore worldwide during its first week in theatres. Out of this total, about Rs. 4.25 crore gross (around Rs. 3.60 crore nett) came from the Indian market, while the overseas territories contributed roughly Rs. 3.25 crore (around USD 350K).
Although the overall numbers may seem modest, the film’s strong trend and steady growth are what stand out. It opened on a relatively slow note, earning just over Rs. 40 lakh in India on day one, taking its worldwide opening to about Rs. 75 lakh. The collections picked up over the weekend, but it was during the weekdays that the film showed impressive stability. By Thursday, the last day of its first week, the India collections had climbed to around Rs. 60 lakh, nearly 50 percent higher than its opening day.
Interestingly, the movie is also performing well outside the core Punjabi belt, which is uncommon for smaller Punjabi releases. The trend has been particularly encouraging, with day seven collections almost three times higher than day one. The film’s genre may be playing a role in this reception. While Punjabi cinema largely releases comedy-driven films, this romantic drama offers something different, helping it gain traction in regions like Delhi-NCR and Haryana.
However, the film still has some ground to cover before it can be declared profitable. Despite being made on a relatively controlled budget, it will need to maintain its momentum to recover costs. The positive sign is that the current trend supports further growth. Its Thursday numbers provide a solid base heading into the second weekend, and if the film follows a typical upward trajectory, it could continue performing well.
That said, the window is limited. The film has only a few days before the big release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which could dominate screens. As a result, Ishqan De Lekhe will need to outperform normal expectations over the next few days. If it manages to sustain its current pace, it could emerge as one of the first successful Punjabi releases in recent times, particularly in the domestic market, which has been facing a prolonged dry spell.