Aamir Khan takes responsibility for 'LSC' disaster; foregoes acting fee
Aamir Khan's ambitious comeback to celluloid after a four-year-break, Laal Singh Chaddha failed to pass the box office litmus test and met with a disastrous response. In particular, Khan's performance as the titular character was heavily criticized due to his caricaturish portrayal. Now, recent reports suggest that Khan has decided to let go of his acting fee to absorb the film's monumental financial losses.
Why does this story matter?
Expectations from LSC were at an all-time high, considering it's the official Hindi adaptation of the Oscar-winning Hollywood classic Forrest Gump. It also marked Khan's reunion with his 3 Idiots and Talaash co-star Kareena Kapoor Khan and was also Naga Chaitanya's Hindi debut. However, instead of wooing audiences, it fizzled out too soon and made the list of 2022 Bollywood disasters even longer.
Khan has decided to absorb the monumental financial loss
The film, backed by Viacom18 Studios, was mounted on a Rs. 180cr budget and reportedly shrunk at about Rs. 60cr in India. Had the Dangal actor demanded compensation for his acting, the production house's loss would have amounted to approximately Rs. 100cr. A source told Bollywood Hungama, "Aamir Khan has decided to absorb [the loss] himself. Now, the producer will lose nominal money."
The actor made no profits from 'LSC'?
Though Khan invested four years into his passion project, its dismal performance hasn't allowed him to reap any benefits. The source further told Bollywood Hungama, "[Khan] hasn't made a single penny from [LSC]. His opportunity cost on Laal Singh Chaddha is upwards of Rs. 100cr, but he has decided to absorb all the losses taking the complete blame of failure on himself."
A flop at home, but successful overseas
While LSC turned out to be a complete dud in India, Khan's global reach has helped it manage an impressive total outside the country. It has emerged as the highest-grossing Indian film overseas, surpassing Bollywood biggies like Gangubai Kathiawadi and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2. Per reports, most of its collections came from the US, where the film has grossed about Rs. 22cr so far.
The film is slated to hit Netflix in mid-October
At a time when numerous films land on OTT platforms a month after their release, Khan had initially decided to opt for a six-month-long wait before releasing the film on Netflix. Though the streamer and Mr. Perfectionist initially failed to find a common ground regarding the film's cost, recent reports suggest that LSC will finally stream on Netflix sometime in October (eight weeks post-release).
