Aamir Khan reveals why Laal Singh Chaddha failed: ‘I became overconfident…’

In the glitzy and glamorous world of Bollywood, many stars come and go. But there are only a few rare gems that enjoy massive stardom and inspire generations. One such story is of a superstar from Bollywood who has delivered many hits and even passed a strong social message through his films. The actor that we are talking about is none other than “Mr. Perfectionist” of Bollywood, aka Aamir Khan.

Aamir Khan’s perfectionist reputation

From blockbuster hits like Laagan in 2001 to Secret Superstar in 2017 to landmark successes like 3 Idiots, PK, and Ghajini, Aamir Khan has been unstoppable with his impeccable performance and has lived up to his reputation as “Mr. Perfectionist.” At one point, a film of Aamir Khan was already considered a superhit even before its release. However, this star also saw his share of failures when his dream run faltered, when Thugs of Hindostan (2018) fell flat at the box office. Four years later, in 2022, Laal Singh Chaddha, a Hindi remake of the Hollywood classic Forrest Gump, added to his setbacks.

Aamir Khan on being overconfident with Laal Singh Chaddha

Recently, in an interview, Aamir Khan opened up about what went wrong and admitted to being overconfident. “I became a little overconfident with Laal Singh Chaddha because I had delivered too many back-to-back hits. That is where I went wrong,” Aamir said.

He also added how he usually analyses every project through what he calls an “economic filter.”. By this technique, he can escape financial loss even if it underperforms. But with Laal Singh Chaddha, he ignored his own method. “Instead of focusing on how much it can earn, I focus on the fact that the film should not result in any losses. Unfortunately, I didn’t put Laal Singh Chaddha through that filter. When you know your film will earn you ₹120 crore, you can keep your budget up to ₹80 crore, maximum. Ideally, it should have been between Rs50–60 crore. However, we ended up spending ₹200 crore,” he admitted.

Laal Singh Chaddha’s earnings

He also revealed that the excessive budget intensified further during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aamir revealed that he continued paying his team throughout the lockdowns, a decision he stands by but which inflated costs. He also cited wasted expenses, including a lavish table tennis sequence shot in China that never made it to the final cut.

Speaking of Laal Singh Chaddha’s earnings, it collected Rs. 133.5 crore worldwide, with a modest Rs 11 crore opening in India(BHARAT). This figure was far from the monumental Rs 385 crore domestic and Rs 2,000 crore global haul of Dangal.

This honest confession of Aamir Khan speaks about the ups and downs an actor faces, despite his long-lived legacy.