This film made only Rs 40 lakh at the box office despite a sizable budget and two stars in the lead roles but then saw a turnaround on OTT release.
The Covid-19 pandemic spelled doom for several films across the world as theatres closed in 2020. In India, the Hindi film industry was hit the hardest. Even as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam film industries bounced back the followng year, it took Bollywood a little longer to recover. In the meantime, several big and small films suffered as audiences were reluctant to return to theatres. Deleayed releases, restrictions, social distancing requirements, and recurring waves of the pandemic tanked several films. Among them was this one dark comedy that ended up becoming Hindi cinema’s biggest disaster, only to revive later when the fog of the pandemic lifted.
Bollywood’s biggest flop?
Dibakar Banerjee’s Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar began production back in 2017. The film, which starred Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra in the titular roles, was slated to be released in March 2020. But as the Covid-19 situation worsened in February and March, the makers decided to postpone the release till May. Soon after, several lockdowns and shutting of cinema halls for months pushed the release date further. Eventually, the film released on March 19, 2021. However, given the restrictions in place and the return of Covid in the second wave later that month, the film found no takers. Made on a budget of Rs 20 crore, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar made only Rs 40 lakh net in India and Rs 58 lakh worldwide. This 2% return of investment is one of the worst in Indian cinema history.
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar's great run on OTT
The film eventually released on Prime Video a few weeks after its theatrical run concluded. To many people's surprise, the film was a great success there, earning praise from viewers and trending in the top 10 of the platform for several days in its first few weeks. Many viewers who saw the film on OTT concluded that the Dibakar Banerjee directorial was unlucky to have flopped in theatres as it was a good film released at a bad time.
How Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar’s box office failure affected its team
Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar did hamper the careers of both its lead actors but they did manage to bounce back. Arjun Kapoor saw a few more setbacks with Kuttey, Ek Villain Returns, and The Lady Killer. But he is now reportedly playing the antagonist in Rohit Shetty’s Singham Again. Similarly, Parineeti also suffered the box office failures of Saina and Code Name: Tiranga, but is now working with Diljit Dosanjh in Amar Singh Chamkila’s biopic. Director Dibakar Banerjee, however, has not directed a film since the release of Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, making it his longest break between two films since he started with Khosla Ka Ghosla in 2006. His next, Love Sex Aur Dhokha 2, will release in 2024.
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 "A still from India's biggest flop")
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