The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, is doing so well at the box office that other films debuting after it are struggling to find an audience. The screening of Akshay Kumar’s Bachchhan Paandey for Anupam Kher‘s The Kashmir Files has been halted by a mob.

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The Kashmir Files, directed by Vivek Agnihotri, has grabbed the box office by storm, smashing records every day. The film’s popularity has grown to the point where audiences are requesting more and more screens. The film, which began with fewer screens and less promotion, has nearly crossed the Rs 200 crore milestone thanks to its content and strong word of mouth.

The Kashmir Files was released on March 11, 2022, while Bachchhan Paandey, starring Akshay Kumar, was released on March 18, 2022. Despite the big star cast of Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Pankaj Tripathi, Prateik Babbar, Abhimanyu Singh, and others, the film failed to achieve expectations at the box office.

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The Kashmir Files had such a stronghold over theatres that a mob in Odisha physically stopped the screening of Bachchhan Paandey.

A mob wearing saffron scarves can be seen in a viral video interrupting a screening of Akshay Kumar’s flick and threatening to clear the theatre. According to reports, the mob violently stopped the screening and demanded that The Kashmir Files be shown instead.

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Many theatre owners, according to reports, are dealing with this issue. An exhibitor told Bollywood Hungama that groups of 10 to 100 people are causing brawls on the grounds and clashing with the personnel, saying that a scene from the film was missing. “How can any theatre manager cut any scene from any film?” the exhibitor asked the portal.

On March 13, Akshay took to his Twitter account to congratulate the cast and crew of The Kashmir Files for bringing the audience back to the theatres.

He had tweeted, “Hearing incredible things about your performance in #TheKashmirFiles @AnupamPKher amazing to see the audience back to the cinemas in large numbers. Hope to watch the film soon. Jai Ambe.”

Bachchhan Paandey is a remake of Jigarthanda, a Tamil film released in 2014 that was inspired by the South Korean film A Dirty Carnival. The Kashmir Files, on the other hand, tells the narrative of Kashmiri Hindus and their suffering in 1990. The Kashmir Files has earned Rs 180 crore in just 11 days, compared to Rs 34 crore for Akshay Kumar’s film in its opening weekend.