"We need to keep our expectations in check."
Siddharth Anand has addressed the poor box office performance of his film Fighter (2024).
The film showcased Bollywood’s first action-aerial film. It featured Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone and Anil Kapoor in lead roles.
Siddharth has previously helmed blockbusters including War (2019) and Pathaan (2023).
It was therefore undeniable that there were very high expectations.
The film notably also presented Hrithik and Deepika together onscreen for the first time.
While the movie has done brilliantly overseas, it has experienced drops in collections in India since its release.
Siddharth Anand opened up about why he feels Fighter failed to do as well as some of his previous work. He branded the expectations unrealistic.
He explained: “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.”
The filmmaker added that the audience may not have been ready for the genre.
He said: “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’?
“There is a huge percentage of our country, I would say, 90% 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.”
Siddharth also delved into how Anil Kapoor told him about the longevity of Fighter, citing Amitabh Bachchan’s classics Deewaar and Sholay, which both released within a few months of each other in 1975.
“When Anil Kapoor sir saw Fighter, he came and told me, ‘Bachchan had these two films come very close to each other, Sholay and Deewaar. This is your Deewaar. 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 Deewaar‘.”
Fighter released on Thursday, January 25, 2024. The film has currently grossed over Rs. 244 crores (£23 million) worldwide.
Siddharth Anand also recently shared that he has some “great ideas” for a sequel to Fighter.
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