Shraddha Kapoor’s Eetha Bags Rs 90 Crore PVR INOX Distribution Deal Before December Release

Shraddha Kapoor’s upcoming biographical drama Eetha has reportedly secured one of the biggest theatrical distribution deals ever for a female-led Hindi film, with PVR INOX Pictures acquiring its all-India distribution rights for Rs 90 crore. The deal, reported exclusively by Pinkvilla on November 1, is said to be structured on an advance basis and comes just a month before the film’s December 4 theatrical release. The figure is a reported trade deal, not an officially announced figure from the studio or exhibitor.

Directed by Laxman Utekar and backed by Maddock Films and Kathputli Creations, Eetha is inspired by the life of legendary Maharashtrian Lavani and Tamasha performer Vithabai Bhau Mang Narayangaonkar. Utekar has clarified that the film is not a direct biopic, but draws on incidents recorded in the book Tamasha: Vithabaichya Ayushyache. Kapoor plays the central role, alongside Randeep Hooda, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Siddharth Jadhav, Anant Joshi and Nana Patekar, with music by Ajay-Atul.

The deal follows a strong response to the film’s trailer, released on October 30, which showed Kapoor’s transformation into a folk performer and highlighted the film’s dance sequences, choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant. The trailer, certified UA 16+ with a runtime of 2 minutes 58 seconds, is set to play in theatres with Ramayana from November 5, giving Eetha a premium launch pad in front of the year’s biggest release.

The Rs 90 crore figure places Eetha among the notable pre-release deals for female-led Hindi films, in the league of major theatrical agreements previously reported for films such as Alia Bhatt’s Gangubai Kathiawadi. It also reflects Kapoor’s standing after Stree 2, one of the biggest Hindi box-office successes of recent years, and the trade’s confidence in a rooted, performance-led drama rather than a conventional commercial entertainer.

Here is the Filmverse take: an advance-basis distribution deal of this size is exhibitors putting money where their confidence is, and it matters more than a trailer’s view count. PVR INOX is effectively betting that a Lavani and Tamasha story, led by a star audiences associate with both horror-comedy and romance, can draw family audiences in December. The risk is real — Eetha is a cultural drama, not a franchise film — but the deal suggests the trade believes Kapoor’s post-Stree 2 pull, plus Utekar’s track record with Maddock, can carry it. If the film opens well, it could also reset what exhibitors are willing to pay for female-led stories that are not built around action or horror. Read our report on Ramayana, with which the Eetha trailer will play, here: https://filmverse.in/ramayana-cbfc-u-certificate-zero-cuts-195-minute-runtime/

Eetha releases in cinemas on December 4, 2026. It marks Kapoor’s first collaboration with Utekar as director.

Sources: Pinkvilla, Sacnilk — the Rs 90 crore deal is a reported figure.