This week's big release, the Saif-Sonakshi starrer Bullett Raja took a poor start at the box office in India, where it opened this morning. The film opened to pitiful collections of around 25-30% at both multiplexes and single screens, but the reviews of the film are good, so it may pick up over the weekend.

Critics have praised Dhulia's deft direction and Saif Ali Khan has earned praise for his off beat character in the rural/gangster film. Subhash Jha (IANS) gave the film four stars and said "Saif's in full command of the spoken and unspoken language. Here's an actor who can bring gravitas to his character without weighing it down in self-importance."

Taran Adarsh (Bollywood Hungama) continued in the same vein: "On the whole, Bullett Raja is Tigmanshu Dhulia's most 'commercial', mass appealing film thus far."

Mohar Basu (koimoi.com), however, slated the film stating, "Bullett Raja with its grave minuses and fewer plusses is an underwhelming film much to my disbelief. The last few films of Dhulia had made me rank him amongst the top notch filmmakers of this generation."

Bullett Raja is the third big film after last week's Singh Saab The Great and Gori Tere Pyaar Mein, to garner such shockingly low numbers in its opening weekend, going on to prove that big stars in films really don't guarantee success these days.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela, on the other hand, is inching close to the Rs.100 crore mark, a figure it is likely to achieve by the end of this weekend, ending the director's dry spell after box office duds Saawariya and Guzaarish. It is also newcomer Ranveer Singh's first bonafide hit and actress Deepika Padukone's fifth straight blockbuster in a row.

What audiences are tweeting about Bullett Raja

Theatrical trailer: Bullett Raja