'Industry wanted SRK to fall during Ra.One': Anubhav Sinha
What's the story
In a recent interview with The Lallantop, director Anubhav Sinha opened up about the making and downfall of Shah Rukh Khan's ambitious project, Ra.One. One of the most expensive Indian films at the time, it failed to impress critics and audiences alike. Sinha revealed he started conceptualizing the film in 2005 and writing it in 2006, and the movie was finally released in 2011. Sinha spoke in detail about the film's failure.
Industry negativity
'I betrayed the film': Sinha on 'Ra.One' failure
Sinha spoke about the negativity that surrounded Khan and Ra.One. "During the second week of its run, I realized that the film wouldn't run [how] we expected it to. I was depressed." "I believe that there were people in the film industry who wanted [Khan] to fall. I have been long enough in cinema to understand that feeling." "But yeah when Shah Rukh Khan conceded that the film flopped it was heartbreaking because I betrayed the film and his trust."
Overwhelmed director
Sinha admitted to losing control over 'Ra.One'
Sinha admitted that the film didn't shape up the way he had imagined. He said, "I lost control of the film." "I heard [the budget] was somewhere between ₹90-120 crores but I didn't know the exact number," he added. Nevertheless, he lauded Khan for his intelligence and for being able to make decisions without making others feel bad about them. "Of course, I was consulted about everything including the casting."
Box-office failure
Sinha took responsibility for 'Ra.One's poor performance
Reflecting on Ra. One's box-office performance, Sinha blamed his own work for the film's failure. He slammed the script and editing, saying, "Ra. One was a bad film, that's why it didn't perform well. The script was bad. The editing was bad." "There was an Italian cameraman and an American VFX supervisor and all of them knew more cinema than me. I was overwhelmed by the resources."