Filmmaker Vasan Bala praised Jigra star Alia Bhatt and producer Karan Johar for being supportive even as the movie underperforms at the box office.
Jigra proved to be a box office underperformer despite Alia Bhatt’s star power. Reviews have been mixed, with Bala admitting that people either loved the movie, or hated it. Bala said he is pleased with the reaction, but dissatisfied by its commercial performance as this was his first time working on a large scale.
In a new interview with VOA India, Bala praised Johar and Bhatt, saying the two have worked hard to earn their reputations in Bollywood. Acknowledging the guilt he feels about letting them down, Bala said, “Box office matters, because it isn’t my money. It’s one of the primary responsibilities of a filmmaker; it’s an art, but it’s an expensive art form. A lot of resources go into making a movie, and it’s also that both the star and producer have earned a reputation for themselves. Karan ko viraasat mein nahi mili hai; he has made the biggest blockbusters and earned this position for himself. And Alia has also earned it over 10 years.”
Bala said it was his responsibility to assure ‘the bare minimum’ returns, which he has failed to do. Jigra hasn’t yet cracked the Rs. 50 crore mark worldwide. Its cost is reported to be Rs. 90 crore. Talking about working with Bhatt, Bala said, “She’s very instinctive, I would always choose the word ‘wise’ for her, because she isn’t calculative at all.”
Bala said that Bhatt has the understanding of storytelling and is quick to grasp new ideas. He continued, “She doesn’t calculate what she’s doing as the hero. So, every time we decide on something right before the scene, there is a small discussion, and that small discussion starts and ends very quickly… With Satya, it’s all about need, not want. There is a kind of greed associated with wants, but needs are always pure.”
‘Jigra’ box office collection day 11: Alia Bhatt’s film sees a huge dip on Monday, makes Rs 60 lakhs; likely to end up with a lifetime business of Rs 35 crore#Jigra #AliaBhatt #RajkummarRao #VickyVidyaKaWohWalaVideo #Boxoffice https://t.co/VzvxAMZ3DQ
— ETimes (@etimes) October 22, 2024
Jigra also stars Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Rahul Ravindran, and Vivek Gomber. The movie was released in theaters on 11 October, and will soon be released on Netflix. Following the movie’s disappointing opening, Johar took to social media to declare that he will always have Bala’s back.
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