Amitabh Bachchan's worst film left makers bankrupt, superstar actress faced flak for bold scene, distributors backed out

Amitabh Bachchan is probably the biggest name in Hindi cinema. The superstar has been a force to reckon with for over five decades now, delivering hits decade after decade, and starring in some of the most iconic and memorable films of all time. Yet, in a career that has stretched to over 55 years, the actor has appeared in a few duds as well. The worst of all his films was one that created endless controversy.

Amitabh Bachchan’s worst film is...

The 2003 dark comedy heist film Boom is considered to be the worst in Amitabh’s filmography of over 150 films. The Kaizad Gustad film also starred Gulshan Grover, Jackie Shroff, as well as Padma Lakshmi and Madhu Sapre. It marked the Bollywood debut of Katrina Kaif, who would go on to become one of the top actresses in Bollywood a few years later. However, Boom was a critical and commercial failure. It has a mere 2.4 rating on IMDb, one of the lowest for Indian films. At the box office, the film earned just Rs 1.20 crore.

Boom’s dismal box office performance

The Rs 1.20-crore it generated in box office receipts wasn’t enough to salvage the high-budget film. Just before Boom was set to be released in theatres in September 2003, the film was leaked by pirates with its DVDs flooding the market. As a result, the distributors backed out and the film could not get a wide release. The film was produced by Jackie Shroff and Ayesha Shroff, and the couple was left bankrupt as a result. Ayesha recalled in a subsequent interview with Times of India that not only did she have to pay the distributors Rs 18 crore but they had to sell their furniture as well.

Katrina Kaif and Gulshan Grover in Boom

When Katrina Kaif faced flak for Boom

Boom was a heist film made in the ultra-glam style of Hollywood capers. The three female leads played supermodels trying to evade gangsters. The film featured an infamous scene where Katrina stripped in front of Gulshan Grover’s character and danced for him in her undergarments in a rather suggestive style. The scene faced a lot of criticism as did a young Katrina. The actress notably never did another intimate scene in her career.

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