The skies seemed less friendly for director Siddharth Anand’s latest cinematic venture, ‘Fighter’, despite the star power of Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. Premiering on January 25, the film witnessed promising numbers during its opening weekend box office run, only to encounter a descending trajectory starting the following Monday. This particular premiere marked the exact one-year anniversary of Anand’s previous hit, ‘Pathaan’, featuring Shah Rukh Khan, yet ‘Fighter’ unfortunately did not mirror the same level of success.
Anand, who played double duty as director for both ‘Fighter’ and ‘Pathaan’, expressed his perspective on ‘Fighter’s’ less-than-expected reception in an interview with Gallata Plus. “As creators, we sometimes harbor slightly over-ambitious expectations. I include myself in this reflection, especially given the success of ‘Pathaan’ a year prior,” he confided. Anand also posited that timing played a part, “The release day, a Thursday, falls midweek. During a special screening for friends and family on that day, a substantial portion wondered if the event was slated for the evening, highlighting the challenges of drawing audiences on a workday.”
Delving deeper into the heart of the film’s tepid response, Anand contemplated the disconnect that may have arisen from the film’s unique genre. He acknowledged that the experience of flying is not universal, “The concept of fighter jets is foreign to a significant part of our population. Close to 90% of people in our country have never flown or even stepped into an airport, which can make the on-screen action seem alien and hard to grasp.”
‘Fighter’ takes a bold step by venturing into an untouched realm of aerial action, a domain without cinematic precedent for Indian audiences. This lack of familiarity, Anand believes, might make the exhilaration of the in-air combat difficult to communicate, creating a barrier for initial audience engagement. “It’s a leap for a filmmaker, but I feel it encapsulates a basic story once you get past the initial novelty,” he asserted.
Starring alongside Roshan and Padukone are esteemed actors such as Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Akshay Oberoi, and Sanjeeda Shaikh. ‘Fighter’ took off with an impressive Rs 24 crore on the first day. Nevertheless, by the time the film’s first Monday rolled around, earnings descended to Rs 7 crore.
This movie, intending to soar into the hearts of audiences with its lofty ambitions, instead encountered turbulence. ‘Fighter’, with its distinguished cast and behind-the-scenes crew, was crafted to be a cutting-edge experience—a pioneering journey into uncharted cinematic airspace. However, it seems that for some viewers, the film did not quite reach the anticipated altitudes of engagement and enjoyment.
As with any artistic endeavor, the response to ‘Fighter’ evidences the subjective nature of storytelling and the variegated tastes of a diverse audience. Anand’s reflections provide insight into the complexities of film-making and film-receiving—the nuanced dance between artist intention and viewer reception.
It remains to be seen whether ‘Fighter’ will manage to gain altitude in the weeks to come or whether it will serve as a learning curve for Anand and his team. With the realms of cinephilia and movie magic being ever-mercurial, even a fleeting moment of disconnection can mean the difference between box-office gold and the sober reality of unmet expectations. As ‘Fighter’ navigates through the commercial airspace, its creators and stars will be watching and waiting, hopeful for a late ascent in the hearts and minds of moviegoers.