Hrithik Roshan opens up on 'Vikram Vedha's box office failure
What's the story
Hrithik Roshan's 25th film Vikram Vedha, co-starring Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte, arrived in the theaters on September 30 amid much buzz.
While his never-seen-before villainous avatar won the audience's hearts, it didn't quite translate well at the box office, and the action drama fizzled out at the box office.
Now, Roshan has finally spoken about the film's failure.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Inspired by the popular folktale of Vikram Aur Betaal, Vikram Vedha was a remake of the eponymous 2017 neo-noir Tamil film helmed by Pushkar-Gayathri, starring R Madhavan and Vijay Sethupathi.
It marked Roshan's return to the big screen three years after War (2019).
The film's average performance can also be chalked up to the availability of the Hindi dubbed version of the original movie.
Learnings
The learnings will dawn on Roshan 'much later'
While speaking to Galatta Plus, Roshan reflected on the film's failure.
"[Vikram Vedha] didn't fare well at the box office... There are different parts of me that are conflicted about what I should learn from this...I think it'll dawn on me much later, but right now I know that it is not, maybe, something that people like to see me do," he said.
Reflection
Roshan will now be choosing his roles carefully
Roshan added, "Maybe I'm not allowed to do roles where I'm not catering to my fans who want to see me in a certain film, with a certain backdrop, in a certain way."
"I will think twice before taking a film that does not cater to fans of the star, but when I read something (worthy), I may not say no," he stated.
Shortcomings
'Vikram Vedha was a cerebral, intellectual film'
In the same interview, Roshan also said Vikram Vedha didn't have the flamboyance of War and the "heart" of Super 30, as it was a "cerebral, intellectual film."
Reportedly made on a budget of Rs. 175cr, its lifetime collection stands at around Rs. 78.66cr.
Pushkar-Gayathri directed the Hindi version, too, while Rohit Saraf, Sharib Hashmi, Satyadeep Misra, and Yogita Bihani played supporting roles.
Upcoming projects
Where will we see Roshan next?
Roshan will next be seen in Siddharth Anand's aerial drama Fighter, which also stars Deepika Padukone, Karan Singh Grover, and Anil Kapoor.
The film is currently in production and is slated for a 2024 release.
He is also set to star in the beloved superhero franchise film Krrish 4, to be directed by his father, Rakesh Roshan. The details about it are still scarce.