With Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, the year 2023 began with a bang. The Siddharth Anand directorial is on a spree of breaking records, including the first Bollywood film to touch the Rs 400-crore mark from India. Despite a few pre-release hiccups (controversies), Pathaan set new benchmarks in the Indian film industry.
The success of Pathaan brought back hope among filmgoers, and even Anupam Kher shared his views on the phenomenal response to SRK's film. While promoting his upcoming production, Shiv Shastri Balboa, Kher opens up about how the #BoycottBollywod trend failed to damage the film and says, "Aap trend dekh ke thodi picture dekhne jaoge. Koi bhi nahi jaata trend padh ke. Agar aapko trailer aacha laga toh aap jayege film dekhne. Jab pitcute aachi hai toh duniya ki koi takat nahi rok sakti. Log toh vengeance se jaate hai ki 'mujhe toh dekhni hai film' (No one gets influenced to watch a film by a trend. If you liked the trailer of the film, you want to watch it. If the film is well-made, no one has the power to sabotage it. People even go for the film with a feeling of vengeance against the hate trend)."
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Anupam, who will next be seen in his maiden production, adds that movie lovers were never in sync with trollers, but it was a task to pull them back to theatres. "The film audience never boycotted cinema. We had gone through the Covid pandemic, there was a lockdown, and people were asked to sit in their houses. This has happened after 100 years or so. During this phase, audiences look out for other means of entertainment. The OTT platforms saw a boost, and they started watching the films with their ease. To bring them (audiences) out of fear takes some time."
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Decoding the successes of Bollywood, Anupam states, "Public started going back to the cinema after Gangubai Kathiawadi, then The Kashmir Files happened, then Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Karthikeya 2, Brahmastra (Part One: Shiva), and now Pathaan. Hopefully, the upcoming films, including Shiv Shastri Balboa, will continue entertaining the audience." Shiv Shastri Balboa will release in cinemas on February 10.
