Shanti Kranti, an ambitious pan-India film from V Ravichandran, starred Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, and Juhi Chawla.
It has become a norm, almost, to release big Indian films in as many language versions as possible to capitalise on different markets. Recent hits like Jawan, Animal, and Salaar have all done considerable businesses in dubbed versions. This has, of course, popularised the pan-India fad. But three decades ago, long before anybody had heard of this term and when Rajamouli was just a young aspiring filmmaker, one ambitious maker tried to rope in bug superstars from various industries for a mega film. The end result, however, was a huge flop.
India’s biggest flop, which earned Rs 8 crore only
In 1988, actor-filmmaker V Ravinchandran launched an ambitious pan-India film Shanti Kranti. The film starred Bollywood star Juhi Chawla alongside Ravichandran himself, in the original Kannada vesion. The filmmaker, however, shot three other versions too – in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The lead role was played by Rajinikanth in the Hindi and Tamil versions and Nagarjuna in the Telugu version. Made at a budget of Rs 10 crore, it was the most expensive Indian film till then. And it was a disaster at the box office, earning only Rs 8 crore worldwide.
How Shanti Kranti became a pan-India disaster
Shanti Kranti was famously launched in 1988 on the hundredth birthday of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. However, due to the schedules of the three stars, and the challenges of shooting it back-to-back in four languages, the production took over two years. By the time it released, its production costs had ballooned to several times its original budget. When it did release in September 1991, it was derided by critics and shunned by fans. Even the star power of Rajinikanth and Nagarjuna failed to draw audiences to the theatres. Many trade pundits noted that while the film ran houseful shows in several parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the box office collections were not enough because of the exorbitant costs of making the film.
V Ravichandran’s financial troubles due to Shanti Kranti
Ravichandran had not just directed but also produced Shanti Kranti under his banner Eshwari Productions. The financial setback of the film not doing well hurt him the most. All the thre actors went on to have successful careers but Ravichandran was forced to produce several low-budget films to pay off his debtors. At one time in the early-90s, it was reported that he went bankrupt too. But he did recover and bounce back with big hits in the 90s, reviving himself and his production house.
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 "A pic from the sets of Shanti Kranti (Pic: Twitter)")
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