Kalank made the most of a holiday release as it amassed Rs 21.60 crore on its opening day. In the process, the Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt starrer became the highest opener of the year so far, edging past Akshay Kumar's Kesari that had registered first day collection of Rs 21.06 crore.

While the numbers should be reason enough for director Abhishek Varman to cheer, trade expert Amod Mehra says that the multi-starrer - given its stellar cast and the pre-release hype - was expected to perform better.