Khan admits character focus caused 'Thugs of Hindostan' flop

Entertainment May 17, 2026

Aamir Khan recently admitted he made a "fundamental error" by focusing more on his character than the script, which led to Thugs of Hindostan's flop.
At a SCREEN Academy Masterclass in Mumbai, he shared that despite the film's massive scale and star cast, changing the script for casting reasons was a mistake.
In his words: "We should not have changed the script even if we didn't get the casting we wanted."

Khan: 'Thugs of Hindostan' mirrors 'Sholay'

Khan drew a comparison between Thugs of Hindostan and classic film Sholay, saying both had similar formulas.
He noted that Zafira's story echoed Thakur's, while Firangi was like Jai and Veeru supporting the lead.
However, he felt that script changes meant they lost what made the original story special, something he regrets now.