Aamir says 'Laal Singh Chaddha' flopped due to his 'overconfidence'
What's the story
Aamir Khan's 2022 film Laal Singh Chaddha was a major box office failure. In a recent interview, Khan admitted that his "overconfidence" led to the film's downfall and revealed its exorbitant budget of ₹200 crore. Speaking to Komal Nahta on his YouTube channel Game Changers, he said he didn't apply an economic filter on LSC like he usually does with his productions.
Cost strategy
Khan explains his usual approach to film production costs
Khan explained his usual approach to film production costs, saying, "I have a habit of putting every film I produce through an economic filter." "Instead of focusing on how much it can earn, I focus on the fact that the film should not result in any losses." "Unfortunately, I didn't put Laal Singh Chaddha through that filter," he added.
Production challenges
Overconfidence in 'LSC' due to successful films string
Khan admitted that his overconfidence in LSC was due to a string of successful films. "I became a little overconfident with Laal Singh Chaddha because I had delivered too many back-to-back hits." He knew the film wouldn't earn as much as Dangal but still spent ₹200 crore on its production. "I knew the film will earn one-third of Dangal. That film had earned ₹385 crore, so I knew Laal Singh Chaddha will earn between ₹100-120 crore," he said.
Shooting abroad
International shoot during pandemic added to 'LSC's costs
Khan also revealed that the decision to shoot in another country during the COVID-19 pandemic added to LSC's production costs. "We planned to go abroad to shoot the rest of the film due to the pandemic situation in India." "A lot of money went into travel, and that too was wasted," he said.
Financial strain
Khan chose not to stop payments to the crew
Despite the pandemic-induced financial strain, Khan chose not to stop payments to his crew. "We underwent huge losses during that period because I had not stopped my payments. I thought, as a producer, I can't leave my workers unpaid," he said. This decision further increased the film's production costs.
Genre insight
'LSC' wasn't a mainstream film, says Khan
Khan also shared his realization that LSC wasn't a mainstream film. "When I sat with Advait (Chandan, director) for a discussion on the film, I remember telling him clearly, 'This is not a mainstream film.' He was surprised." "He asked, 'Why?' I said, 'There are three things: its premise was a question, the story doesn't follow the plot but its character, and its sub-plot lasts longer than the main plot.'"