Bollywood Gems That Initially Flopped In The Box Office But Are A Must Watch
- Lakshya (2004)
Undoubtedly, the movie was epic, timeless, and motivational. In contrast to other Indian war movies, where implausible heroics is shamelessly added with over-the-top dialogues, the moments in this film were incredibly genuine.
The directing and performances were unquestionably of the highest calibre. It’s one of those priceless gems that everyone keeps on their laptops.
It was ahead of its time, which is the basic reason why it failed. In the same year, Swadesh was released and failed as well. This proves that our film-watching mentality should really come off age.
Many films which were made ahead of their time flopped, a prime example is Andaz Apna Apna. The film has now gained cult status. There should be a rise in audience intelligence.
2. I Am Kalam (2010)
I Am Kalam is about an underprivileged child who aspires to become a respectable person like Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam. The film avoids depicting situations and solutions that are too grand for real-life. The principle that every child should have the right to education and the ability to pursue their dreams is highlighted in the film.
The movie is motivational because it promotes the notion that effort is preferable to luck. A careful observer can learn many things from it. In fact, it covers so many different subjects in so little time—less than 90 minutes—that watching it just once is unfair. It’s the kind of movie you should see every few years.
3. Sholay (1975)
We know what you’re thinking. “Are we kidding ourself? Sholay, a classic hit and we’re mentioning it in the flop list!” But did you know it was declared a major failure by media critics in its first week? “Yes, it is true that Bollywood trade analysts had written off the film when it was released. In reality, a number of analytical essays examining the causes of the film’s failure were also released in trade publications!”
However, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar felt confident in Sholay despite the criticism. The seasoned author was further quoted as saying, “But I and Javed sahib were so certain of the film’s success that in response to the unfavourable headlines, we had published a Full Page advertisement in all the trade magazines declaring that the film will gross Rs. 1 crore business in each territory of India! ”
Are you wondering if their prognosis was accurate? Well, Salim Khan acknowledged that they were mistaken, saying, “Actually, our prediction was wrong….. because the movie made more than 2 crores in revenue in each of India’s states instead of only 1 crore! ” As per the website, Sholay earned a gross revenue of Rs 15,00,00,000 (Rs 15 crore), and if substituted with today’s ticket rates, it would be way over Rs 160 crore.
4. The Attacks of 26/11 (2013)
The 26/11 Attacks is an attempt to reenact the terrible things that happened in Mumbai. This movie is significant for every Indian emotionally since these were THE events that no one will ever forget. The past 6-7 years have seen RGV struggle on all fronts. Has he used this film, which was meant to be his lifeline?
Many anticipated that the movie would depict all that occurred, that it would be produced along the lines of The Hurt Locker or Zero Dark Thirty, and some anticipated that it would be a documentary.
But because RGV has a different way of thinking, this film is unique. Therefore, set aside all of your expectations and simply watch the movie. The film focuses on some of the 26/11 attack’s incidents (not all of them), and each one is described from Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria’s point of view. The crux of the movie is located here. RGV deserves all the credit for approaching those events from a completely different perspective. Rakesh Maria is portrayed by Nana Patekar with grace and ease, and it is through his comments that the 26/11 assaults’ reality is revealed.
5. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015)
Dibakar Bannerjee, the director of Khosla Ka Ghosla, was fairly certain that his cinematic adaptation of the popular detective book series “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!” would charm the audience. Despite being widely praised by critics, the movie failed to find success at the box office. “Its poor performance at the box office left me heartbroken. Obviously, I wasn’t happy, nor was Adi (Aditya Chopra) and our team. I realized we shouldn’t have released it with ‘Fast and Furious’ That was not a good decision. said Dibakar Bannerjee.
Sushant Singh Rajput, who played the title role in the movie, garnered a lot of praise for his portrayal of “Detective Byomkesh.”
6. Mera Naam Joker (1970)
Bollywood’s original showman was Raj Kapoor. He was a talented actor, producer, and director who made some excellent movies. The 1970 film Mera Naam Joker, which was meant to be Kapoor’s masterpiece, sadly failed to connect with the audience. The movie, which was based on a joker’s life, did poorly at the box office. Rishi Kapoor, Raj’s son, made his film debut as a young artist in the six-year-long production. The family’s finances were also at risk due to the movie. But eventually, it was considered a classic.
7. Trapped (2016)
Why was Trapped a flopped movie The truthful response is that the majority of people watch movies as a form of amusement and an escape from reality. In India, a huge majority of people define entertainment as:
- A few uptempo dance tracks (The more meaningless, the better)
- A few set pieces for action between the good guy and the bad guy.
- Beautiful Women wearing skimpy outfits
- Chuckle jokes that don’t require much concentration
- A love story involving the main characters. A few love songs also wouldn’t hurt.
- Include a celebrity cameo.
All of them were (presumably) present in Judwaa 2, but none were present in Trapped.
The latter, like with Citylights, Newton, and the majority of other Rajkummar Rao films, is targeted at multiplex crowd in big cities while the former was a film for the general public. Both did well in comparison to their hopes.
Very few films in India can present compelling stories without following the formula and be commercially successful. A good illustration is Dangal.
8. Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959)
Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), or Paper Flowers, was Guru Dutt’s biggest failure as a director. His attempt to produce the country’s first Cinemascope movie failed miserably.
After 60 years, Kaagaz Ke Phool is still a classic that any film student would cite as a perfect example of how to make a movie. Even with many readings of the material, the movie lends itself to hidden bits that are just waiting to be “found” by another fan.
9. Hey Ram (2000)
Wondering what went wrong for it to be a box office failure? The causes are as follows.
- Before its debut, it was mistakenly thought to be an anti-Gandhi movie and had a bad vibe. People didn’t even wait to view the film to form an opinion on it.
- The screenplay moved slowly. Indian audiences generally dislike slow-moving films unless they are very easy to relate to and contain a few comical sequences here and there to keep them interested.
- People made the incorrect assumption that it contained pointless love sequences like a typical Kamal movie. However, the impact of both the scene and the rape scene was so great that you had to combine them to really comprehend.
- People rarely understood the plot of the film. It required repeated viewings to get the hang of the movie because it was intricate, multilayered, and filled with tense conversation. Some even believed it to be a film depicting Mahatma Gandhi’s life narrative. It took them nearly ten years to recognize the film’s brilliance.
10. Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
In the movie Andaz Apna Apna (AAA), which was released 20 years ago, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, two of the most well-known stars of the time, were paired with a host of comedy legends. Despite being the stuff of Bollywood dreams, Mehmood, Jagdeep, and Devan Varma under the hotshot direction of Rajkumar Santoshi failed to blow the box office away.
While the mystery surrounding its lackluster first run continues to grow with each passing year, the last twenty years have seen the film transform into a cult classic whose charm only increases with each viewing.
