Siddharth Anand's 'Fighter', touted as India's first aerial actioner, was one of the most-anticipated films of all time. Featuring Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan's promising pair and an intriguing backdrop, the film had everything going for it. However, the box office earnings of 'Fighter' have fallen short of expectations. The director has now reacted to the underwhelming box office collection of the film.
Siddharth Anand recently addressed the subdued box office performance of 'Fighter' at the box office. In a conversation with Galatta Plus, he said several factors can be attributed to the film's low box office collection, one of them being its release on a working day. The film hit theatres on January 25 (Thursday). He said that the choice of midweek release did not work out in the film's favour and emphasised the need for filmmakers to reevaluate expectations.
He further said that being an aerial film, 'Fighter', is unfamiliar to a large section of the audience in India. He added, "Another thing is the genre. 'Fighter' is a huge leap for a filmmaker. It’s a space that is unexplored and absolutely new. It has no reference point for the audience. They are like, ‘What are these planes doing?'”
Siddharth went on to say that about 90% of the population in the country had never been to an airport or flown in an aeroplane. He emphasised that many people could find the movie's idea, particularly its aerial combat sequences, a little strange. Siddharth did stress, though, that audience quickly realised that 'Fighter' is fundamentally a simple and accessible movie once they step inside the theatre.
In addition to Deepika and Hrithik, the film also stars Mahesh Shetty, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Ashutosh Rana, and Talat Aziz in crucial roles.