Following the theatrical run of his high-octane aerial drama Fighter, director Siddharth Anand has opened up about the film’s “mediocre” box office performance compared to his previous blockbusters. In a series of recent candid discussions, the filmmaker dissected the reasons why the Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer struggled to replicate the record-breaking success of his 2023 hit, Pathaan.
A “New and Alien” Genre
One of the primary reasons Anand cited for the lukewarm reception in India was the technical and “alien” nature of aerial combat. According to the director, the Indian mass audience is well-versed with ground-level action—cars exploding and hand-to-hand combat—but high-altitude dogfights were a “huge leap” into uncharted territory.
“Fighter is a space that is unexplored and absolutely new,” Anand explained. “It has no reference point for the audience. There is a huge percentage of our country, I would say 90 percent, who have not flown in planes or been to an airport. So, how would they know the exhilaration of what’s happening in the air?”
While these comments initially sparked a wave of memes and online debate, Anand later clarified that his intention wasn’t to sound elitist. He argued that the “emotional disconnect” stemmed from the audience’s unfamiliarity with the stakes of aerial maneuvers, making it harder for them to feel the same adrenaline they might feel during a typical car chase.
The Burden of Unrealistic Expectations
Anand also admitted that as a filmmaker, his own expectations—and those of the industry—may have become skewed after the astronomical success of Pathaan and War.
The film premiered on a Thursday, a working day, which Anand believes hindered the initial “day one” momentum. Having delivered a 1,000-crore grosser just a year prior, the pressure to hit similar benchmarks was immense. Anand noted that makers need to align their expectations with the specific “product” and its niche appeal.
He emphasized that Fighter was never intended to be a typical “masala” war movie. Instead, it was an authentic look at the lifestyle of the Indian Air Force, their downtime, and their internal journeys.
Performance by the Numbers
Despite the “mediocre” tag from some critics, Fighter was by no means a commercial disaster. It crossed the ₹250 crore mark worldwide, but its domestic trajectory saw a sharp 83% drop on its first Monday—a crash that surprised trade analysts.
Looking Ahead
While Fighter might not have become the cultural phenomenon the team hoped for, Siddharth Anand remains proud of the technical milestones achieved. He described the project as his “most evolved and honest work,” noting that the film received standing ovations from the Indian Air Force for its authenticity. To know such latest updates tuned tellyboosters.com Thank you!
