Kabir Singh box office collection: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani's film mints Rs 239.97 crore in 18 days

Kabir Singh is on a money-spinning spree, even weeks after its release on 21 June. With Rs 239.97 crore in its kitty, the Shahid Kapoor-Kiara Advani-starrer is projected to surpass the lifetime earnings of blockbuster Simmba from last year.

Kiara Advani and Shahid Kapoor in a still from Kabir Singh trailer. YouTube screengrab

After crossing the Rs 225 crore benchmark on 6 June (Saturday), Kabir Singh crossed the Rs 230 crore mark the following day (7 June) by a wide margin.

According to trade analysts, Kabir Singh is also predicted to cross the lifetime business of Uri: The Surgical Strike. It has already overtaken the lifetime earnings of blockbusters Kick and Chennai Express.

Check out the business update tweet here

On the first day of its release, the romantic drama raked in Rs 20.21 crore, making it the biggest opener in Kapoor's career so far.

Despite the film being leaked online by Tamilrockers just hours after it hit the theatres, its earnings have not been affected drastically.

Kabir Singh is a remake of Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy, starring Vijay Deverakonda and Shalini Pandey. Kabir Singh follows a young, successful surgeon played by Kapoor, who turns to a life of drugs and alcohol after his college sweetheart marries another man. The film also stars Kamini Kaushal, Suresh Oberoi, Arjan Bajwa and Adil Hussain.

Despite the tremendous performance at the box office, the film has been criticised for its blunt endorsement of misogyny and patriarchy. Kabir Singh has also received flak for normalising violence against women.

Defending his film against such criticism, Vanga said in a recent interview, "If you can’t slap, if you can’t touch your woman wherever you want, if you can’t kiss, I don’t see emotion there.” He added that critics are "parasites  who are the real threat to the film industry."