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Although more than eight years have passed since the release of Dangal, the biographical sports drama remains the highest-grossing Indian film of all time, cementing Aamir Khan as a powerhouse at the box office. However, the past few years have been challenging for him, with both of his last movies receiving widespread negative responses and eventually bombing at the box office. Known for taking on only one project every few years and dedicating himself fully to it, Aamir recently opened up about how the failures of Thugs of Hindostan (2018) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) affected him.
Mentioning that whenever a film of his fails, he sinks into depression, Aamir admitted that the debacle of Laal Singh Chaddha, however, hit him the hardest. He further credited his family’s support for helping him cope during that difficult time. “I was very sad. I am a very emotional person,” he shared during a conversation with ABP Majha. “Thugs of Hindostan might have been a weak film. I believe we weren’t able to achieve what we had set out to do. Filmmaking is a difficult medium; so, sometimes, we might end up not being able to make what we want to,” he shared.
Reflecting on his performance in Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of the American comedy-drama Forrest Gump (1994), Aamir admitted: “I think my performance was a pitch too high. That film relied completely on the lead actor’s performance. Remember how great a job Tom Hanks did in the original film? He just took you on a ride. I wasn’t able to do that.”
He continued, “When one of my films doesn’t perform well, I go into depression and cry for two to three weeks. It’s important to mourn. Once that phase is over, I call over the entire team to analyse what went wrong so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes. I really value my failures and go deep into them, trying to understand what all went wrong.” He also noted that setbacks not only serve as learning experiences but also reignite his determination to prove himself again.
Aamir Khan also recalled how his family stood by him during those tough times. “In the case of Thugs of Hindostan, my family knew beforehand that I wasn’t fully impressed by it. But with Laal Singh Chaddha, they knew how deeply involved and emotionally invested I was. So, when it flopped, they checked in on me frequently. Junaid would sometimes drop by in the evening to see how I was doing, and at other times, it would be Ira. Even Reena, Kiran and my mother started reaching out to me more often. In fact, at one point, I (jokingly) thought that if I got this much attention every time a film flopped, maybe I should have had a few more failures.”
Helmed by Tashan and Dhoom 3 director Vijay Krishna Acharya, Thugs of Hindostan also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh in key roles. The film was bankrolled by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. Laal Singh Chaddha, meanwhile, was helmed by Secret Superstar director Advait Chandan and also starred Kareena Kapoor Khan, Naga Chaitanya, Mona Singh and Manav Vij. It was jointly produced by Paramount Pictures, Aamir Khan Productions and Viacom18 Studios.
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