Prakash Jha on Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha debacle: ‘A film can’t be made only through money, paying high fees…’

The failure of Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha—a film that was 10 years in production and took 3 to make—gave Bollywood a sharp jolt. The film was part of the slew of Bollywood flops this year and what made matters worse, was that it was subject to several boycott campaigns prior to the release.

While there’s much debate on till what extent the boycott campaigns affected the film’s performance, filmmaker Praksh Jha weighed in and said that if a film is ‘good’, it will work. He told Cinestaan, “They should understand that they are making bakwaas. A film can’t be made only through money, corporates, and paying a high fee to the actors. One needs to write a good story that makes you understand and entertains.”

Jha said that Bollywood needs to make films that are ‘rooted’ rather than just churning out remakes. “If you don’t have a story to tell, stop making films.” Prakash further added, “They should work hard and think original as people have become lethargic.”

He also said that the cancel culture has existed for quite a while and people are just using social media as a form of communication. He mentioned that the boycott culture did not affect Laal Singh Chaddha. “If Dangal, Lagaan tanked (at the box office), then we could have understood that it happened because of the boycott. But you have made a film that didn’t meet with a favourable reception. I am yet to find someone who has said, ‘wow, what a film it was,’” he added. He also acknowledged Aamir Khan’s hard work for the film but added that if there is ‘no factor’ in the content, one cannot use boycott as an excuse.

Laal Singh Chaddha, starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Naga Chaitanya, tanked at the domestic box office and could only earn around Rs 60 crore. However, it had more success with its overseas earnings and became one of the highest-earning Indian films this year.