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22 Aug 2026, 3:46 am

After Aan Paavam Pollathathu, Rio Raj is back at the theatres with Ram and Leela. The film, which marks the directorial debut of Ramachandran Kannan, also stars Vartika as the female lead. On day 1, the film has earned a rather modest sum at the box office.

On day 1, the romantic comedy earned a worldwide gross of Rs 0.23 crore on its opening day. The film, which hit theatres on Friday (August 21), recorded a first-day India gross of Rs 0.23 crore, with no overseas collections reported, as per Sacnilk. Its India net stood at Rs 0.20 crore.

The film registered an overall occupancy of around 15 per cent across 673 shows on Day 1. With its theatrical run now underway, the film will look to benefit from the weekend to improve its numbers.

The film was initially announced as Ram in Leela but underwent a last-minute title change after receiving a U/A certificate from the censor board. The story follows Ram, played by Rio Raj, who finds himself repeatedly rejected during marriage proposals. After several unsuccessful ponnu paakura meetings, he eventually meets Leela on a train and falls for her. However, their relationship comes with an unusual condition — Leela tells him that she cannot meet him after 6 pm. The trailer also hints at a larger twist involving Ram's close friend, with the character seemingly transforming into Leela and creating a series of complications in his life. The film combines romance, mistaken identities and situational comedy as Ram attempts to navigate his unusual relationship.

Vartika, who makes her acting debut with the film, shares the screen with Rio in the lead. The supporting cast includes Balaji Thiyagarajan Dayalan, Munishkanth, Chetan, Deepa Venkat, Malavika Avinash and Nayana Elza. Ankit Menon has composed the music, while Mallikarjun handles cinematography, and YNC Shiva is the editor. Backed by R Ravindran and Sudharsan, the film is produced under the Trident Arts and Eywa Entertainment banners.

Ram and Leela released alongside Rishikanth and Anishma Anilkumar's Modha Rathri. The film will now look to the Saturday and Sunday shows to build momentum at the box office.