Aamir Khan’s latest release, Laal Singh Chaddha, had a disappointing period at the box office. The big-budget film, which also stars Kareena Kapoor, Mona Singh and Naga Chaitanya, failed to make it through ₹50 crore in its first six days of release. The movie is the latest in a long line of Bollywood movies that have failed at the box office in recent times. On Wedne, actor R Madhavan spoke about this trend and also about the relative success of films from the south. Read also : Box office of Laal Singh Chaddha: Aamir Khan’s film collapses with a drop of 75%
In 2022, several big budget Hindi movies like Samrat Prithviraj and Shamshera failed at the box office. On the other hand, southern movies like RRR, KGF: Chapter 2, Vikram and Vikrant Rona hit money in the same span. The Hindi dubbed versions of the first two even surpassed the Bollywood films.
While launching the teaser for his upcoming film Dhokha – Round D Corner in Mumbai on Wednesday, actor R Madhavan was asked to comment on the disappointing performance of recent big-ticket Hindi films including Laal Singh Chaddha. “If we knew (why Laal Singh Chaddha didn’t work), we would all make hit movies. Nobody starts out thinking we’re making a bad movie. The intent and hard work behind it is just as intense as it is with every movie an actor is working on or not. So all the great movies that came out…the intention was to make a good movie and make it work,” Madhavan told reporters.
He also added that the perception that southern films outperform Hindi films is wrong as only a handful of films from southern industries have made it. The actor argued that it could not be called a model. “When it comes to southern films, Baahubali 1, Baahubali 2, RRR, Pushpa, KGF: Chapter 1 and KGF: Chapter 2 are the only South Indian films that have done better than actor films from hindi cinema. It’s only six films, you can’t call that a model. If good films come out, they will work.
The actor said he believed that if good content was given to audiences, he would go see movies in theaters regardless of language. He attributed the failure of Hindi films to changing audience preferences in the post-pandemic era. “After COVID-19, people’s tastes and preferences have changed… So if we’re making the kind of movies that people are going to watch, with the kind of movies that are coming today, we’re going to have to become a bit more progressive,” he said.
Madhavan will next be seen in Kookie Gulati-directorial Dhokha – Round D Corner. The film also stars Darshan Kumaar, Aparshakti Khurana and Khushalii Kumar. The T-Series production will hit theaters on September 23.
