Anupam Kher recently opened up about the heartbreak he experienced when his passion project, Tanvi the Great, failed at the box office after clashing with Saiyaara. Speaking at the latest edition of Expresso, the veteran actor candidly described how the simultaneous release of the two films led to his movie being overshadowed.
What's Happening
- During a conversation with the Indian Express, Anupam Kher opened up about the emotional toll the clash took on him. "I worked for four years on this film, one year of writing, one year of music. I wrote and directed the film. We released the film on the same day when Yash Raj Films' Saiyaara was releasing and it got completely wiped out. It depressed me. It made me feel very sad, not just for myself, but for the new actor, whom I took from my acting school, and almost 200 people worked on the film," he said.
- He further explained that Tanvi the Great faced financial difficulties just a month before release when the film's financier disappeared. "So I called my friends who are doctors, lawyers, etc. They gave me the money. We did the world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. We went to New York, where Robert De Niro saw a film till the interval, and he thought it was good. We also showed the film to the President of India," he added.
- Despite these milestones, the film's theatrical run suffered because audiences were more drawn to a youthful love story. "Everything was going fine, but the world wanted to see a love story, and rightfully so. Young, teenage love story had not come for a long time and the system here is that even if you're releasing the film in 400 theatres, if the other film is doing very well, they will remove your film. So it was a failure which was very heartbreaking for me," Anupam admitted.
- When asked which film's success surprised him the most, the actor did not hesitate. "Saiyaara. Even Aditya Chopra must have been surprised by it, everyone was surprised but theek hai... thank God Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra are part of my family, I grew up in cinema with them. If it was somebody else it would have been very painful."
Background
Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri and starring newcomers Aneet Padda and Ahaan Panday, reportedly earned a staggering Rs 569.75 crore worldwide.
On the other hand, Tanvi The Great reportedly tanked at the box office with a collection of nearly Rs 2.54 crore worldwide. The film features Shubhangi Dutt, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, and Karan Tacker in pivotal roles.
The movie is going to return to theaters on September 26.
