Aamir Khan on failure of Thugs of Hindostan, "I told Aditya Chopra it is a disaster, Laal Singh Chaddha too couldn't connect with audience"

Aamir Khan on failure of Thugs of Hindostan, "I told Aditya Chopra it is a disaster, Laal Singh Chaddha too couldn't connect with audience"

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan’s honesty about failure of Thugs of Hindostan stands out, especially given the scale and expectations attached to the film. Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and backed by Yash Raj Films, the film was one of the most expensive productions of its time.

Despite a massive opening, it failed to live up to critical or audience expectations. Aamir admits the constant changes in the script contributed to its downfall, and he regrets not putting his foot down earlier.

In an interview with Filmfare, Aamir said, "The original Thugs Of Hindostan script I’d agreed to never got made, it kept changing. Normally, I wouldn’t accept that. But I take full responsibility, along with Victor and Adi. I told Adi, 'Till here, I’m with you. But after watching the film, we’re in different boats. From where I sit, this is a disaster. I told Adi, picture paani tak nahi maangegi' (It will flop miserably). I urged them to rework it, we had a year but they were convinced it was great. The film bombed and my instincts were proven right. It still did a business of Rs 150 crores."

Turning to Laal Singh Chaddha, the Hindi remake of Forrest Gump, Khan shared a similar story of disappointment.

"With Laal Singh Chaddha, about 25 per cent of the audience truly loved it but most didn’t connect. It still did Rs 55 crore, but for someone like me, or Salman, our ‘flops’ too earn Rs 150 crore and not 50. That sent me into a shell."

The lukewarm response to Laal Singh Chaddha had a deep impact on Aamir Khan. The film, although praised in parts, struggled to resonate with a wider audience. The actor took the underperformance to heart and began re-evaluating his next steps.

So much so that when it came to Sitaare Zameen Par, an adaptation of the Spanish film Champions, Khan initially backed out of acting in it.

"I called Prasanna and told him I couldn’t do Sitaare Zameen Par. He understood and asked if I’d at least stay on as producer. I agreed."

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The project has since evolved into two separate films—one in Hindi with Farhan Akhtar and another in Tamil with Sivakarthikeyan. Both versions focus on neurodivergent characters and require entirely different, culturally specific casts.

Aamir's openness about his creative missteps and the toll of back-to-back setbacks highlights the vulnerability even top stars experience. His willingness to accept blame, reassess decisions, and support meaningful cinema, even from the background, shows a matured outlook shaped by failure.