‘Hrithik Roshan gave Tom Cruise a run for his money’: Maj Gen GD Bakshi praises Fighter, actor responds

Hrithik Roshan received praise from Maj Gen GD Bakshi for his performance in Fighter. The film has been struggling at the box office.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: February 8, 2024 01:20 PM IST

3 min read

Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone in a still from Fighter.

Hrithik Roshan will take the praise that he can get, regardless of who it’s coming from. The actor’s latest film, the big-budget actioner Fighter, has had a difficult time at the box office, as it struggles to hit the Rs 200 crore mark domestically despite no competition in two weeks. The film has made around Rs 185 crore in India and Rs 320 crore worldwide in 14 days of release, against a reported budget of Rs 250 crore. Additionally, Hrithik’s fans are pointing out on social media that his industry colleagues haven’t exactly supported the film, even though Hrithik himself endorses others’ films every chance he gets.

Recently, the actor received a message on X (formerly Twitter) from the controversial Maj Gen GD Bakshi, who wrote, “Just saw the Movie Fighter. A Great and befitting tribute to our Air Warriors. Thrilling action and aerobatics by the Sukhois. Dont miss the air combat. Hritik Roshan made a great fighter pilot. Gave Tom Cruise a run for his money. MUST SEE! @iHrithik.” The actor replied, “It’s an honour to receive this feedback from you Sir. Thank you so much,” and the army veteran responded, “Keep up the Great Work Tiger. You do justice to combat roles. Hope to see u in many more. The boys in uniform need all the encouragement they can get @ihrithik.”

Also read – What ‘Fighter’, released on R-Day, says about its audience

The intention was for Fighter to help rebound Hrithik’s career after the pandemic. The actor hasn’t had a major hit since 2019’s War, which made Rs 475 crore worldwide. His gangster drama Vikram Vedha underperformed, and even though Fighter will keep playing for some more days, the response hasn’t been as enthusiastic as expected. The film has been particularly underwhelming outside urban centres, which director Siddharth Anand addressed in a recent interview with Galatta Plus. But his response about the majority of the country not being familiar with air travel was mostly ridiculed.

The filmmaker himself was coming off the biggest hit of his career, the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, which grossed over Rs 1000 crore globally. Hrithik doesn’t have another film in the pipeline, but after Vikram Vedha‘s underperformance had spoken about his desire to do more mainstream films in the future.