Vicky Kaushal says Sam Bahadur, Animal's box office clash was Test match: 'We knew we needed...'

Vicky Kaushal had a successful year at the box office in 2023 with three of his films crossing the Rs 100 crore mark. His last release of the year, Sam Bahadur, clashed with Ranbir Kapoor’s blockbuster Animal and still managed to turn out to be a hit. The actor recently opened up about the clash and called it a test match. 

In an interview with The Week magazine, when asked about his views on Sam Bahadur and Animal’s box office clash, Vicky Kaushal said, “With Sam, we always knew it was a Test match; we knew it was not the quintessential masala film that Animal was―it had the shock value and one knew it would create waves at the box office. We knew we needed that much time, that word of mouth, for the film to resonate with the masses. Because if it does not click with people, it will not do well no matter when it is released. People started talking about it more and more as the weeks went by. We saw that through January, Sam shows kept going on, and that gives me tremendous happiness.” 

He further added that he is his own critic and said, “The first time I watch my own film, I do not like it at all. I cringe, swear, and shut my eyes. This happens with me on almost a daily basis, when I am spending at least half an hour evaluating and wondering if I could have done it differently.” 

Helmed by Meghan Gulzaar, Sam Bahadur is a biographical film based on the life of the First Field Marshal of India, Sam Maneskshaw. Despite the clash with Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Animal, the film managed to collect Rs 130 crore worldwide and Vicky Kaushal’s performance was also well appreciated by the audience and the critics. The film also starred Sanya Malhotra and Fatima Sana Shaikh along with others in key roles.

Meanwhile, Vicky Kaushal will be next seen sharing the screen with Triptii Dimri in Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam which also stars Ammy Virk and is set to release this year. He also has Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Love & War in the pipeline wherein he will be sharing the screen with Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.

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