Kaushik Ganguly’s Dhumketu Creates Historic Opening at Bengali Box Office

After being stuck in production limbo for nearly a decade, Dhumketu, starring Dev and Subhashree Ganguly, finally released in theatres on August 14 and has stormed into the record books. According to the makers, the film has registered the highest ever opening day gross in Bengali cinema, raking in ₹2.1 crore.

Taking to social media, Dev’s production house, Dev Entertainment Ventures, shared the celebratory update, stating, “The box office isn’t just speaking — it’s thundering for #Dhumketu! The roar is deafening, and it’s only getting louder.”

Originally shot in 2015, the project faced years of delay due to a fallout between co-producers Dev and Rana Sarkar. Despite the setbacks, the film retained its place as one of Dev’s most anticipated ventures, with both the director and lead actor often describing it as among the finest works of Dev’s career.

The movie also marks the much-talked-about on-screen reunion of Dev and Subhashree Ganguly, who last appeared together before their real-life separation a decade ago. The ensemble cast includes Rudrani Ghosh, Dulal Roy, Alokananda Roy, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, and Chiranjeet Chakraborty.

Released alongside high-profile films such as Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR’s War 2 and Rajinikanth’s Coolie, Dhumketu faced initial controversy. The makers alleged that Yash Raj Films’ ‘no-sharing’ policy for War 2 restricted the number of shows allotted to their film. The issue prompted several industry figures to write to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

However, advance booking trends in West Bengal quickly shifted in Dhumketu’s favour, even surpassing War 2. Sharing his delight, Dev tweeted, “From No Show Sharing to Early Morning Shows - #Dhumketu has definitely come a long way! Now not only the hall owners in cities but even theatre owners in the districts are competing with each other and running Early Morning Shows! I couldn’t have been happier to witness such a spectacular opening at the Box Office.”

On its first day, the film reportedly achieved more than 250 house-full shows, as confirmed by Dev on social media. Following its remarkable regional debut, Dhumketu is now gearing up for a nationwide release on August 22.