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Filmmaker Siddharth Anand, who hit out of the park with his last two releases, War (2019) and Pathaan (2023), couldn’t recreate the same success for his latest release, Fighter. The film started slow at the box office with just Rs 22.5 crore coming on the opening day. It eventually picked up pace over the Republic Day weekend, but saw a sharp decline in its collection during the weekdays. Siddharth recently reflected on why the Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone film could not repeat the success of War or Pathaan.
During a chat with Galatta Plus, Siddharth listed various reasons for Fighter’s underwhelming box office performance, one of them being it was released on a working day. The film was released on January 25 (Thursday). He said, “Our expectations as makers have become a little unrealistic. I am talking about myself also, having delivered Pathaan just one year ago. We need to keep our expectations in check and align them with the product. Also, it was a working day. Thursday is considered mid-week. For instance, we held a special screening for friends and family on Thursday, and whoever we texted and asked, at least 40% of them asked, ‘Is the show in the evening?’ So, that time, it hit us how will people bunk work or bunk school and come in the morning.”
Also read | Siddharth Anand casts Hrithik Roshan-Deepika Padukone in Fighter, but doesn’t know what to do with them
Pathaan, starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, did a business of Rs 57 crore on its release day and ended up earning Rs 540.51 crore during its run in domestic theatres.
The filmmaker also said that the concept of Fighter, which is an aerial actioner, is ‘alien’ to a larger section of the audience in India. He explained, “Another thing is the genre. Fighter is a huge leap for a filmmaker. It’s a space that is unexplored and absolutely new. It has no reference point for the audience. They are like, ‘What are these planes doing?'”
Siddharth added, “There is a huge percentage of our country, I would say, 90 per cent, who have not flown in planes, who have not been to an airport, so how would they know what’s happening in the movie? This is my dissection. They felt this is a little alien. They didn’t understand what kind of exhilaration they are supposed to feel in the air action, so there is a certain initial disconnect. But once you enter the theatre, you realise this is such a basic film.”
The filmmaker said he is too ‘critical’ of his films, and he recognises what didn’t work in his movies. Siddharth added that he keeps analysing what he could have done better.
Even actor Anil Kapoor, who plays a pivotal role in Fighter, told Siddharth Anand that he will be remembered for Fighter for a long time, while quoting the example of Amitabh Bachchan’s Sholay and Deewar, which released close to each other, just like Pathaan and Fighter.
“When Anil Kapoor sir saw Fighter, he came and told me, ‘Bachchan had these two films come very close to each other, Sholay and Deewar, this is your Deewar. This is going to get you all the respect and adulation and will be respected for a long time over the years.’ I didn’t understand it then, but he said, ‘Just keep it with you, this is your Deewar,'” Siddharth shared. While Sholay was a commercial hit, Deewar gained prominence over the years.
Fighter is currently running in theatres and has so far minted Rs 140.5 crore. It also stars Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi and Sanjeeda Shaikh.
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