While “Fighter” is gaining traction and success in overseas markets, the reception has been tepid in India. The Republic Day release, featuring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, carried high expectations, but the domestic collections have been disappointingly low, despite the absence of significant competition at the box office. Director Siddharth Anand has now broken his silence on the lackluster opening numbers. Scroll below for more details.
Siddharth Anand, recently celebrating the success of “Pathaan” (2023), which marked Shah Rukh Khan’s Bollywood comeback, achieved significant acclaim with a staggering gross of 543.22 crores in India, earning a hit verdict. Prior to that, his collaboration with Hrithik Roshan in “War” also proved triumphant, amassing 319 crores in the domestic market. Despite the potential for a blockbuster opening, “Fighter” faced a lukewarm response, with criticism directed towards perceived weak promotional strategies.
Siddharth Anand cites two reasons behind Fighter’s dull response
In an interview with Galatta Plus, Siddharth Anand disclosed two reasons contributing to the lukewarm response of “Fighter.” He admitted that a significant error was releasing the action film on a working day. The filmmaker acknowledged that his expectations might have been a bit “unrealistic.”
Siddharth Anand also pointed out that the genre of “Fighter” may have been somewhat unrelatable for the audience. Nevertheless, he emphasized that “Fighter” represents a “huge leap for a filmmaker.”
Director Siddharth Anand calls Fighter a “basic film”
He concluded by stating, “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.”
More about Fighter
“Fighter” was released on January 25, 2024. The film features an impressive ensemble cast, including Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Abhishek Kapoor, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Karan Singh Grover, and Ashutosh Rana, among others.
“Fighter” is produced by Viacom18 Studios and Marflix Pictures.
The action film marks the third collaboration between Hrithik Roshan and Siddharth Anand, following their previous projects “Bang Bang” and “War.” The duo is set to team up once again for the upcoming project “War 2.”
Deepika Padukone has also reunited with the filmmaker Siddharth Anand after the blockbuster success of “Pathaan.”
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