Aanand L Rai breaks his silence on why Shah Rukh Khan’s Zero failed at box office, ‘I never understood…’
Director Aanand L Rai opens up on the reasons behind Shah Rukh Khan’s film Zero failing at the box office, sharing his insights on the movie’s reception.
Director Aanand L Rai has opened up about Shah Rukh Khan’s 2018 film Zero, explaining why the movie did not perform as expected at the box office. Despite its star-studded cast, including Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif, the film failed to connect with audiences the way the team had hoped. In a recent interview, the filmmaker candidly took responsibility for the movie’s shortcomings and reflected on the challenges of working with a superstar.
What did Anand L Rai say?
Speaking about the film, Aanand said, “The problem with Zero was that, that man..that superstar came to me with so much of love and me being me, I never understood that it’s not an actor director who was going to make a story. There was a superstar attached, his image is there, which I have to understand and get in the film. I was working with an actor, a big actor. I realised much later that there is an image that I had to take care of.”
He further reflected on his filmmaking style and challenges with star-driven cinema, “When you say that my films are without the baggage of a star, somewhere I agree that maybe I am unable to incorporate that stardom in my characters. At times, people want to see their stars in a character, but a part of the star should also be there, which I was unable to do. I was floating, those bearings were not there, they were moved.”
About Zero and its box office performance
Zero followed the story of Bauua Singh, a man with dwarfism from Meerut, navigating love and self-discovery. He finds himself caught between a brilliant scientist with cerebral palsy (played by Anushka Sharma) and a troubled superstar (played by Katrina Kaif).
Made on a budget of Rs 200 crore, the film earned only Rs 178 crore worldwide. Despite Shah Rukh Khan’s star power and the ambitious storytelling, Zero failed to meet audience expectations, leading to its box office disappointment. The film’s performance also prompted Shah Rukh Khan to take a brief break from acting.
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