At a recent interaction during the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, Aamir Khan spoke openly about the emotional toll that followed the failure of his 2022 film Laal Singh Chaddha. The actor admitted that the setback hit him harder than expected, especially because he had complete faith in the film.
Directed by Advait Chandan, Laal Singh Chaddha was the official Hindi remake of the Hollywood classic Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks. Despite the legacy attached to the original, the film struggled at the box office, earning significantly less than anticipated.
Reflecting on the film’s performance, Aamir admitted that he may have misjudged its commercial potential. Made on a reported budget of around ₹200 crore, he believed the film would comfortably cross ₹300 crore. Looking back, he now feels a more grounded approach could have helped. According to him, the film wasn’t designed as a mass entertainer, and its scale should have matched that reality.
Interestingly, Aamir compared this experience to his earlier film Thugs of Hindostan, directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya. Unlike Laal Singh Chaddha, he said he had sensed that Thugs of Hindostan might not work, making its failure less shocking. With Laal Singh Chaddha, however, the disconnect between his belief and audience response was harder to process.
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The actor acknowledged that while a section of viewers appreciated the film, many didn’t connect with it during its theatrical release. He pointed out that audience reception ultimately decides a film’s fate, and it would be unrealistic to ignore that.
Aamir also shared how the failure affected him personally. He described the period as emotionally intense, saying he felt deeply “shattered” and went through a phase of sadness and withdrawal. Rather than suppressing those emotions, he chose to fully experience them, which eventually helped him move forward.
One unexpected positive, however, was the support he received from his family. During that time, he found himself surrounded by loved ones, including his mother Zeenat Hussain, his children, and both his former partners, Kiran Rao and Reena Dutta. Their constant presence offered comfort during a difficult phase, something he recalled with a touch of humour.
Despite its underwhelming theatrical run, Laal Singh Chaddha found renewed appreciation after its release on Netflix, where many viewers revisited and praised the film.
On the work front, Aamir is now focusing on upcoming projects, including Ek Din, which features his son Junaid Khan alongside Sai Pallavi. He is also backing Lahore 1947, starring Sunny Deol and directed by Rajkumar Santoshi.