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Aamir Khan tears up over Laal Singh Chaddha’s failure, says he was ‘overconfident’ with Rs 200 cr budget: ‘I thought it’d easily do Rs 300 cr’
Aamir Khan said the only silver lining that came out of the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha was having his family constantly around and checking in on him.
Aamir Khan in Laal Singh Chaddha.
Aamir Khan still hasn’t been able to get over the failure of his 2022 film, Advait Chandan’s Laal Singh Chaddha, an official remake of Tom Hanks-starrer 1994 Hollywood film Forrest Gump. At the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) in Australia, Aamir recalled how that setback was very different from the one that came before that — Vijay Krishna Acharya’s 2018 period action adventure Thugs of Hindostan.
Aamir Khan ‘wasn’t surprised’ when Thugs of Hindostan flopped
“When Thugs didn’t do well, I wasn’t surprised because I didn’t like it. So, the audience and I were on the same side. Though I was sad because so much effort was put into it. Adi (Aditya Chopra) had put in so much money. He’s a great producer. He’d done so much for the film. And of course, we were all disappointed. But it was like an accident I could see happening in slow motion. But with Laal Singh Chaddha, I thought it’s a very nice film. It’s still a very good film,” Aamir confessed.
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When the live audience said that they lapped up the film, Aamir argued that most of them didn’t show up in cinemas when the first released back then. “While a number of people have liked Laal Singh Chaddha, I’m also aware that a number of people really didn’t get it. It’d be childish of me to try and believe otherwise because there’s absolutely no way you can kill a film that the audience is loving. So, if it’s not worked, then the audience hasn’t connected with it,” added Aamir.
Aamir Khan made Laal Singh Chaddha on a budget of Rs 300 crore
He pointed out that he went indulgent with the Rs 200 crore budget of Laal Singh Chaddha. “I had too many successed back to back, so I became overconfident. So, I thought it’d easily do Rs 300 crore. Ideally, I’d have sat with my production team and told them it’s not a mainstream film. Then we’d have figured out what its scope is. We should’ve taken the lower limit, and not be hopeful,” reasoned Aamir.
Aamir, visibly choking and all teared up, compared the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha to losing a child. “When Laal Singh didn’t work, I was quite shattered. I was very sad, depressed, and in mourning,” said Aamir. But he came out of that phase stronger eventually. “It was initially traumatic for me for a few months, but then I pulled myself out of it. I think that’s how I am. I don’t try and curb my emotions. It’s very important for me to feel. Whatever I’m feeling, I allow myself to feel that,” added the actor.
The only silver lining to the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha was to have his family around at the time. “Before that because of Covid, I’d tried to reconnect with my family. So when Laal Singh didn’t work, my sisters (Nikhat and Farhat Khan) were visiting me. My mom (Zeenat Hussain) was around. My kids (Junaid, Ira, and Azad Khan) were visiting. Kiran (Rao, ex-wife) was dropping by. Reena (Dutta, ex-wife) was asking, ‘What’s up? Are you okay?’ I was like, itna bhav toh mujhe life mei kabhi nahi mila yaar (laughs). If I would’ve gotten so much attention from my family after a flop, I’d have given two or three more yaar,” Aamir said, laughing.
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Laal Singh Chaddha was written by Atul Kulkarni. It also starred Kareena Kapoor, Mona Singh, Manav Vij, and Naga Chaitanya among others. Backed by Aamir Khan Productions, Paramount Pictures, and Viacom18 Studios, it managed to earn only Rs 130 core at the worldwide box office, though it was made on a budget of Rs 200 crore. But the film received a lot of love upon its digital release on Netflix.
Aamir Khan’s upcoming films
Aamir Khan is currently looking forward to the release of his next production, Ek Din, which stars his son Junaid, and marks the Bollywood debut of Sai Pallavi. He is also producing Sunny Deol-starrer Lahore 1947, which is being directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.
DISCLAIMER: This article reflects on the personal experiences and emotional journey of a public figure regarding their creative work. The views and sentiments expressed are those of the individual and are shared here for informational and entertainment purposes only.
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