Aamir Khan got emotional at IFFM, admitting to being overconfident in Laal Singh Chaddha’s budget of Rs 200 crore, expecting Rs 300 crore. He compared her failure to losing a child, but found solace in family. The film flopped at the Rs 130-crore box office but shined on OTT.
Aamir Khan still can’t get over his 2022 flop, Advait Chandan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’. It is the official Hindi remake of Tom Hanks’ 1994 Hollywood movie “Forrest Gump”. At the Indian Film Festival Melbourne (IFFM) in Australia, Aamir said this flop felt very different from his last film, “Thugs of Hindostan,” a 2018 action-adventure film from director Vijay Krishna Acharya.
Aamir Khan on the failure of Laal Singh Chaddha
“When Thugs didn’t do well, I wasn’t surprised because I didn’t like it. So, I and the audience were on the same side. Although I was sad because a lot of effort had been put into it. Adi (Aditya Chopra) has invested a lot of money. He’s a great producer. He did a lot for the film. Of course, we were all disappointed. But it was an accident that I could see happening in slow motion. But with Laal Singh Chaddha, I thought it was a very beautiful film.”
Khan admitted that it is still a very good film.
Aamir Khan talks about the lack of demand for cinema
While the audience praised the film, Khan responded that few of them had attended its theatrical release for the first time. “While a number of people may have loved Laal Singh Chaddha, I also realize that a number of people didn’t really get it. It would be childish of me to try to believe otherwise because there is absolutely no way you can kill a film that the audience loves. So, if it doesn’t work, it means the audience hasn’t connected with it,” Aamir added.
Aamir Khan admits to being overconfident in budget
Aamir highlighted how he overspent on the Rs 200-crore budget for ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’. “I have had a lot of hits back to back, so I became overly confident. So, I thought it would easily make Rs 300 crore. Ideally, I would have sat with my production team and told them that it is not a major film. Then we would have figured out its scope. We should have taken the minimum, and not been optimistic,” the actor said.
Aamir Khan equates flop to losing baby
Choking back with tears in his eyes, Aamir likened Laal Singh Chaddha’s failure to losing a child.
“When Laal Singh didn’t work, I was completely devastated. I was very sad, depressed and in mourning,” Aamir said. In the end, he became stronger from this ordeal. “It was initially painful for me for a few months, but then I pulled myself out of it. I think that’s just how I am. I don’t try to hold back my feelings. It’s very important for me to feel. This is how I feel.”
“Whatever I feel, I allow myself to feel it,” the actor added.
Aamir Khan talks about family support
Amidst Lal Singh Chadda’s setback, the only bright spot was the presence of his family. “Before this because of Covid, I tried to reconnect with my family. So when Lal Singh wasn’t working, my sisters (Nikahat and Farhat Khan) would visit me. My mother (Zeenat Hussain) would be around. My kids (Junaid, Ira, Azad Khan) would visit. Kiran (Rao, ex-wife) would visit me. Reena (Dutta, ex-wife) would ask, ‘What’s going on?’ Are you okay?” I was like, ‘Itna bhav toh muhi live me kabhi nahi mela yaar’ (laughs).
“If I had gotten so much attention from my family after the failure, I would have given two or three more years,” Amer said, laughing.
Laal Singh Chaddha movie cast and earnings
“Laal Singh Chaddha” was penned by Atul Kulkarni and screened
Kareena Kapoor
Mona Singh, Manav Vij, Naga Chaitanya, et al. Produced by Aamir Khan Productions, Paramount Pictures, and Viacom18 Studios, the film made on a budget of Rs 200 crore has grossed just Rs 130 crore worldwide. However, it received a lot of rave reviews after its digital premiere on Netflix.
Aamir Khan upcoming projects
On the work front, Aamir Khan is eagerly awaiting his next production, ‘Ek Din’, starring his son Junaid, and marks Sai Pallavi’s Bollywood debut. It also supports
Sunny Deol
Lahore 1947 film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.
