Aamir Khan’s return to the big screen after four years was marked by Laal Singh Chaddha. The film was highly anticipated from the moment it was officially announced, months after the release of his previous film, Thugs Of Hindostan, and was in production for more than three years. The journey of the film began when Atul Kulkarni, the screenwriter of Laal Singh Chaddha, pitched the idea of making an Indian version of Forrest Gump to Aamir. It took Aamir nearly 8 years to obtain the remake rights to the film. All of the efforts put in to helm the film have not yielded equal returns, as the film has been unable to put on a show anywhere it has been released.
Laal Singh Chaddha was staged on a grand scale, and much care was taken to ensure that everything was just right. However, the film has underperformed, particularly at the box office. On day one, the Aamir Khan-starrer grossed an excruciatingly low Rs. 11.50 crore, and that on Raksha Bandhan, which is a partial holiday in India. The film experienced a significant drop on day two and consolidated over the weekend, but at very low levels. The numbers for Independence Day were lower than on the first, third, and fourth days, which essentially explains the story. The film’s five-day total is a very low Rs. 46.25 crore. The holiday season is over, and the film is likely to see a significant drop on Tuesday. The lack of competition next week could have aided acceptance of the content. However, the content has not changed as of yet.
The film’s overseas performance has been adequate, but nowhere near what was expected. The film’s five-day overseas gross is just over $5 million, and the trend suggests that it will be lucky to make $9 million in its first phase. Positive reviews in Taiwan and Hong Kong next month may help the film break the $10 million mark, but this is more dependent on the film’s reception than anything else. The company will bet everything on the China reception. The reception in China could make or break this otherwise flop film.
The day-wise India nett box office of Laal Singh Chaddha
Thursday – Rs. 11.50 cr (Raksha Bandhan)
Friday – Rs. 7.25 cr
Saturday – Rs. 9 cr
Sunday – Rs. 10 cr
Monday – Rs. 8.50 cr (Independence Day)
Total = Rs. 46.25 cr