Bollywood has the chance to produce moviesin a league of its own. With almost one a half billion potential viewers, it is no surprise that the filmmaking industry has been booming in India for over five decades. However, with 42 films produced in 2022 alone, it is predictable that Bollywood will suffer an occasional flop here and there.
It doesn’t really matter how much money, time, or effort goes into making a film. At the end of the day,predicting the audience’s reaction is more of an art than a science. Even the most skilled professionals cannot tell if a movie will fall flat and miss the mark. After all, nobody gets into the business hoping to create box office bombs; there are large crews working endlessly for months or years and careers at stake. However, when a viewer doesn’t connect with the content put on the screen, even the greatest powers of the world cannot save a flick from crashing.Here are Bollywood’s 20 most fascinating failures.
20Tubelight (2017)
Salman Khan hasn’t had any luck with blockbusters in the last decade. After the massive success garnered by Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the star returned in 2017 with a brand-new film with a promising story.Set in pre-independence India, the movie revolves around Laxman, a boy with intellectual disabilities who grew up around bullies despite his younger brother, Bharat, having his back. The boys somehow get through Independence, and when another era falls upon them and Bharat is drafted into the army, Laxman is left with nothing and must defend himself. He ends up making friends with a Chinese boy and a girl.
Salman Khan Striking out
Director Kabir Khan got the inspiration forTubelightfrom Alejandro Gómez Monteverde’s touching true-story film Little Boy. While the original is considered a masterpiece, the Bollywood version fails to capture the magic. The movie had a strong opening but soon faltered at the box office, falling below expectations.Costing approximately $23 million, the movie only made around $32 million at the box office.
Tubelightis currently not available for streaming.
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19Guzaarish (2010)
Starring two of the greatest actors Bollywood has produced, this 2010 entry by Sanjay Leela Bhansali only had one good thing about it – the songs.Guzaarishis a heart-rending story about Ethan, who used to be a highly acclaimed magician. Now a quadriplegic, Ethan has lost his will to live and has filed a petition for euthanasia. Meanwhile, there are only two people in his life: Omar, a young magician who wishes to learn from Ethan, and Sofia, his nurse.
Two of Bollywood’s Biggest Stars Could not Keep Guzaarish Afloat
Hritik Roshanand Aishwarya Rai Bachchanare both incredible actors, and while the film gives them a place to shine and delivers some beautifully shot scenes, it still lacks the basics to become a commercial hit: the storyline falls flat with a clumsy, choppy narrative.Off an estimated budget of $8.92 million, the movie only managed to gross $7.29 million worldwide.
You can rentGuzaarishon Apple TV.
18Players (2012)
A heist film that goes in all sorts of terrible directions,Playerswas director duo Abbas–Mustan’s attempt at reviving the action thriller genre. An official remake ofThe Italian Jobby F. Gary Gray (2003), the movie follows Charlie Mascarenhas and his sidekick Riya, who are supposedly the greatest pairs of cons in the country. When they learn that a train from Russia to Romania will be carrying out a transfer of gold ingots, Charlie decides to assemble a team of the best people and rob the train. With a talented hacker, a magician, an explosives expert, and a makeup artist on their side, Charlie and Riya embark on their supposedly perfectly planned heist.
A Heist Film that Couldn’t Make Bank
Despite being inspired by a Hollywood success, the movie remains unable to deliver a good watch. With bad acting, cringe-worthy visuals, and overall bland drama and action, Player is a certified flop.Playerswas a vast disappointment at the box office,bringing in only $7.3 million worldwide, making less than its approximate $9.6 million budget.
Playersis currently available to stream on Netflix.
17Tezz (2012)
Loosely inspired by the 1975 Japanese thrillerThe Bullet Train, this 2012 film by Priyadarshan takes on the same premise and fashions a renewed action spectacle, but without much action and a faded spectacle.Tezzcenters around Aakash, an immigrant who is deported from the UK on the grounds of staying in the country illegally. Years later, he returns to London, looking for revenge. He devises a plan with his former employees andplants a bomb on a train, endangering the lives of at least 500 passengers. Hot on his tail is railway control officer Sanjay Raina and retiring counter-terrorism officer Arjun Khanna.
A Failed Take on a Classic Thriller
The movie takes all the tropes from one of the best Hollywood action thrillers and mixes them up with choppy camerawork and flashy editing, hence its spot on this list.Tezzcost approximately $10 million but only pulled in $4.3 million globally.
You can rentTezzon Apple TV.
16Joker (2012)
Akshay Kumar is probably the only actor in the industry who works 365 days a year, with at least three movie releases a year since his rise to fame. With such a heavy output, it is only natural for some projects to fail.Jokeris a science fiction adventure born from the mind of Shirish Kunder. It tells the story of Agastya, a scientist, and his girlfriend, Diya who travel to the fictional town of Paglapur to check up on his father’s health. But upon arrival, they realize that the village folk are ridden with plight and the people are still living in fear of the Germans. Agastya decides to improve their situation by lying to them about an alien invasion.
A Bizarre Sci-Fi Mess
The movie is as bizarre as its plot. It contains shots of UFOs and artificial aliens so that the protagonist can anchor his lie.A disappointment from start to finish, Joker is a movie you should stay 10 yards away from.Jokeronly grossed around $5.5 million from its $7 million budget.
Jokeris currently not available for streaming.
15Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara! (2013)
When it comes to sequels, Bollywood has made several attempts at capturing the brilliance of predecessors, and only few have turned out to be good.Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!simply isn’t one of them. The original 2010 movie by Milan Luthria,Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, was a hit, garnering a massive fanbase. Butthe sequel fails to deliver on the gangster drama it promises.
A Horrible Sequel
The story takes place twelve years later, with don Shoaib Khan taking over as the mafia leader after murdering Sultan Mirza. When he takes slum kid Aslam under his wings, conflict arises because they both fall in love with the same woman. The biggest letdowns of the film were its casting and character development.OnceUpon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!made slightly over its budget of $15.65 million at the box office.
Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara!is currently unavailable for free online streaming.
14Zanjeer (2013)
Filmed synchronously in Hindi and Telugu,Zanjeeris a modern remake of the 1973 classic movie of the same name. Taking on Amitabh “Big B,” Bachchan’s iconic role is Ram Charan, who was quite popular in the South but only got acquainted with a broader audience with his big Bollywood debut. The movie follows Charan’s character ACP Vijay Verma,an honest officer fighting against corrupt society and privileged politicians spreading their dirt. His greatest foe is Teja, an infamous and dishonorable gangster.
Bumbling a Precious Property
The originalZanjeeris Bollywood’s precious property, and the remake only tarnishes its glory. The acting and dialogue delivery are lacking, and the film features too many songs, ultimately distracting the audience from the narrative.Zanjeeronly made $3.8 million on its approximate $5.4 million budget.
Zanjeeris currently not available for free online streaming.
13Bombay Velvet (2015)
Johnny (Ranbir Kapoor) is a mild-mannered, down-on-his-luck commoner who wants nothing more than to win Rosie (Anushka Sharma)’s affection. The quickest way, he believes, is to get involved in crime and display his suave and unforgiving attitude along the way. However, the seedy underworld poses its own challenges.
Directed by Anurag Kashyap,Bombay Velvetfeatures an ensemble cast that includes Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Kay Kay Menon, Vicky Kaushal, and Karan Johar. Promising to deliver a heavy gangster drama, the movie was a huge box-office flop.Against a production budget of $18 million, the movie only made around $6.47 milliondue to its patchy script and surprisingly weak acting.
Bombay Velvetis currently not available for streaming.
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12Shaandaar (2015)
Shaandaarfollows the high jinks pulled by Jagjinder Joginder, a wedding planner who isn’t just doing his job of planning the lavish wedding of Bipin Arora’s daughter, but also willfully pouring himself in their family drama and falling for Alia Arora, the bride-to-be. Set in London,the film has an attractive aesthetic, but is often downplayed by sloppy writing and over-the-top pranksat the hands of an otherwise promising cast.
Famous Actors Couldn’t Save This Stale Comedy
ActressAlia Bhatt has had a remarkable streakin her decade-long career. She started off strong with the coming-of-age romanceStudent of the Year, then went on to deliver hits such asHighwayand2 States.Shaandaarwas her first (and only) film with Shaahid Kapoor. Considering how talented both actors are, fans had high expectations, but the movie didn’t quite hit the sweet spot.Shaandaar made a slight profit at the box office, earning $14.12 million off its $9 million budget, but it still fell vastly short of expectations.
Shaandaaris currently available to stream on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix basic with Ads.
11Fitoor (2016)
The only win forFitoorwas its mesmerizing, instantly addictive soundtrackthat featured songs like ‘Pashmeena’ and ‘Tere Liye.’ Starring Aditya Roy Kapoor and Katrina Kaif, this 2016 film directed by Abhishek Kapoor attempts to depict a moving story about love separated by class and society. Noor is a penniless Kashmiri boy who is hired by a wealthy begum as a stable keeper. Days pass by and his brief encounters with the begum’s daughter, Firdaus, turn into something intense. When the begum learns of their relationship, she sends Noor away.
A Horrible Adaptation of Charles Dickens
To think that the film is based on Charles Dickens’ internationally acclaimed novelGreat Expectationsis shocking. The filmmakers had a source material with incredible potential, and due to weak dialogue and poor direction, they did not make the most of it.On a budget of approximately $9 million, Fitoor only managed to bring in $3.45 million globally.
Fitooris currently available to stream on Netflix.
