The film was officially announced on 20 October 2022, and principal photography took place between October 2022 to December 2023 in Poland.
Crakk was released on 23 February 2024 to mixed-to-negative reviews from critics.[7][8][9] It eventually become box office bomb earning only ₹17.08 Crore against budget of ₹45-60 Crore.
Premise
Siddharth "Siddhu" Dixit, a slum dweller in Mumbai, enters Maidaan, an underground survival sports competition headed by Dev, to unravel the truth about his missing brother Nihal Dixit.[10]
The film was announced on 20 October 2022 with Vidyut Jammwal, Jacqueline Fernandez and Arjun Rampal in the lead roles, to be directed by Aditya Datt.[16] Fernandez was later replaced by Nora Fatehi due to creative differences.[17]
Filming
Under his production banner Action Hero Films, Jammwal collaborated with Datt on the film, which marked their second venture after Commando 3.[18] The shooting was wrapped up on 18 December 2023.
The music of the film was composed by Tanishk Bagchi, MC Square, Vikram Montrose and Mithoon while lyrics are written by Gurpreet Saini, Tanishk Bagchi, Shekhar Astitwa, Paradox, Mithoon, Abhinav Shekhar and Vikram Montrose.[19]
The first song titled "Dil Jhoom" was a remake of the titular song from 2011 album Jhoom by Pakistani singer Ali Zafar.[20][21]
Crakk was released on 23 February 2024.[22] Owing to the negative response, the makers changed the climax for the film's digital release by removing 15 minutes of footage.[23]
Dhaval Roy of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Crakk: Jeetegaa Toh Jiyegaa delivers on the thrilling action front, offering a refreshing glimpse into the world of extreme sports on the big screen. However, its reliance on predictable tropes and a somewhat underwhelming storyline might leave you wanting more".[25] Ganesh Aaglave of Firstpost gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Crakk is high on action and stunts but lacks the thrill and several times tests your patience".[26]
Bollywood Hungama gave 2/5 stars and praised its action sequences, concept and technical aspects, but criticized its script and runtime.[27] Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Despite being a breakthrough in terms of action in films in India, Crakk ends up as an irredeemable film".[28]
Sonil Dedhia of News18 gave 1/5 stars and wrote "Vidyut Jammwal and Arjun Rampal’s action entertainer is a cheap and dumb down version of Squid Game".[29] Mayur Sanap of Rediff gave 1/5 stars and wrote "With no redeeming qualities whatsoever, Crakk is absolute crap!".[30]
Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote "Crakk isn't just calling all adrenaline junkies to enjoy the kick, but it wishes to cater to that particular niche who has a penchant for these extreme sports and action".[31] Rahul Desai of Film Companion wrote "Crakk is needlessly convoluted, long and self-sabotaging".[32]
