Sivakarthikeyan's 'Madharasi' Roars to ₹13 Crore Opening, Outpacing 'Baaghi 4' Amidst Box Office Clash

AR Murugadoss’ action thriller ‘Madharasi’, starring Sivakarthikeyan and Rukmini Vasanth, has kicked off with a bang at the box office. Released on 5 September 2025, the film went head-to-head with some big titles but still managed to make an impressive start.‘Madharasi’ had to fight for space at the ticket counters as it clashed with Anushka Shetty’s ‘Ghaati’, Tiger Shroff’s ‘Baaghi 4’, Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Bengal Files’ and Hollywood horror flick ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’. Despite this crowded line-up, the film stood tall.As per early estimates by Sacnilk, ‘Madharasi’ collected around Rs 13.00 crore India net on its opening day across all languages. This was enough to give it a solid edge over ‘Baaghi 4’, which opened with Rs 12 crore.The film performed particularly well in Tamil Nadu, recording 62.22% occupancy. Hindi it saw 4.73% occupancy, while Telugu managed 23.81%. The strong turnout in the night shows has given trade analysts hope that the film will maintain momentum over the weekend. With family audiences expected to join in during Saturday and Sunday, ‘Madharasi’ may continue to rise.While ‘Madharasi’ impressed with Rs 13 crore on its opening day, the other new releases had a mixed start.Tiger Shroff’s action-packed ‘Baaghi 4’ made a strong entry with Rs 12 crore but still fell slightly short of ‘Madharasi’. Anushka Shetty’s ‘Ghaati’ earned around Rs 2 crore, while Vivek Agnihotri’s ‘The Bengal Files’ collected Rs 1.75 crore. However, the biggest surprise came from Hollywood as ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ dominated the charts with a massive Rs 18 crore debut. Apart from Sivakarthikeyan and Rukmini Vasanth, ‘Madharasi’ also features Vidyut Jammwal, Biju Menon, Vikranth Santhosh, Monisha Vijay, Prem Kumar, Thalaivasal Vijay, Rishi Rithvik and Shabeer Kallarakkal. The music has been composed by Anirudh Ravichander, adding more energy to the film’s high-octane action.The plot of ‘Madharasi’ follows a cop who is on the hunt for illegal weapons being smuggled into Tamil Nadu by a dangerous gang. Alongside the gripping action, the character also battles personal demons, making the story a mix of emotion and thrill. The Times of India gave the film 3 stars and the review says, “AR Murugadoss returns to form with a muscular action entertainer that is finds its anchor in Sivakarthikeyan's robust performance as a man with Fregoli delusion - a disorder due to a tragedy in his past that makes him a compulsive do-gooder. Unlike his protagonist, Murugadoss fortunately seems to have had no delusions of making something very new; the film is every inch an old-school commercial potboiler that feels like a smartly packaged mix of the filmmaker's Thuppakki, Ramana, and Ghajini.”It further added, “A graceful Rukmini Vasanth as the love interest, a swaggering Vidyut Jamwal as the antagonist, and a reliably grounded Biju Menon provide ample support. Of course, the film uses the crutch commercial cinema's creative licence - a hero who can take innumerable punches and not even a stray bullet, a villain who can make trained soldiers look like amateurs - a little too often, but there's conviction in the filmmaking, with the technical team doing solid work, that keeps us from complaining.”With a Rs 13 crore start, ‘Madharasi’ has already stamped its presence at the box office. The coming weekend will be crucial in deciding whether the film can sustain the momentum against tough competition. If word of mouth spreads positively, AR Murugadoss’ film could become one of Sivakarthikeyan’s biggest box office wins.