Abhishek Varman's much-awaited directorial venture Kalank released yesterday and got off to a good start, recording 40% occupancy during the morning shows. Since it was a partial holiday due to Mahavir Jayanti, the film performed even better during the evening and night shows and ended day 1 on a high note. Starring Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sonakshi Sinha, Madhuri Dixit Nene, Sanjay Dutt and Aditya Roy Kapur in the lead, Kalank registered the biggest opening of 2019 by raking in a whopping Rs 21.60 crore on Wednesday, April 17. The love saga achieved this milestone by beating Akshay Kumar's Kesari. Kalank Box Office Collection: Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt Starrer Off to a Good Start, Witnesses 40% Occupancy

Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to the microblogging site Twitter a while back and announced the good news. He wrote, "#Kalank starts with a bang... Emerges biggest opener of 2019 *so far*... Plexes terrific... Impressive cast and hype + massive screen count [4000] + #MahavirJayanti holiday have contributed to a big total... Wed ₹ 21.60 cr. India."

He also tweeted, "Top *Opening Day* biz - 2019...1. #Kalank ₹ 21.60 cr [Wed]

2. #Kesari ₹ 21.06 cr [Thu], 3. #GullyBoy ₹ 19.40 cr [Thu], 4. #TotalDhamaal ₹ 16.50 cr. Note: Hindi films. ₹ 10 cr+ openers included in the list. India biz. #Kalank is the biggest opener of Varun and Alia to date." Kalank Movie Review: Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Kunal Kemmu Shine in a Beautifully-Framed but Dull Love Saga Set During the Partition

Further, Boxofficeindia.com also noted, "Kesari had the highest opening day of 2019 and the collections of most circuits look a little higher for Kalank barring East Punjab and Mumbai (Holi pushed the collections of Kesari here). The big multiplex chains are also ahead of Kesari. Its a good number for a film which did not have much for the youth barring the cast and even here Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt were not in the regular zone."

While Kalank has done exceptionally well on day 1, the film will have to continue its good performance in the coming days as well to ensure it turns out to be a hit at the box office.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2019 10:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).