Siddharth Anand Makes Unusual Assertion: Attributes Fighter’s Failure to Low Air Travel Rates Among Indians

Released in theaters on January 25, Siddharth Anand’s film “Fighter” fell short of expectations on its opening day. Starring Hrithik Roshan as an Indian Air Force (IAF) officer, the movie’s director recently discussed its moderate performance at the box office in an interview with Galatta Plus. Anand’s noteworthy statement attributing the film’s unique theme to the fact that 90% of the Indian audience has not experienced air travel is gaining considerable attention.

What Siddharth Anand said

In an interview with Galatta Plus, Siddharth Anand discussed the reasons he believes led to Fighter’s underwhelming opening day performance. He expressed, “Fighter is a significant leap for filmmakers in the country, considering the unexplored genre it belongs to. It’s a space that is entirely new, lacking any reference point for the audience. When you have such big stars and a commercial director, some may wonder, ‘What are these planes doing?’ It makes me question if this is my film. If you realize, there is a substantial percentage of our country… I would say 90% who have not flown in planes! Who have not been to an airport! So, how do you expect them to know what’s happening in the air?”

Pathaan was hit because 90% Indians are RAW agents pic.twitter.com/rj0D9oMowa

— Abhishek (@MSDianAbhiii) February 2, 2024

Reactions to Siddharth Anand’s Fighter comment

Siddharth Anand is facing backlash for his comments on the box office performance of Fighter. In response, Twitter users have taken a humorous approach to critique, with one person sarcastically attributing the success of the 2023 film Pathaan to the notion that “Pathaan was a hit because 90% Indians are RAW agents.” The spy thriller starred Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role.

Similarly, another tweet joked about Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 2023 film 12th Fail, saying, “12th Fail was hit because 90% Indians are twelfth fail??” The film is based on the life of IPS officer Manoj Kumar Sharma, with Vikrant Massey portraying the lead character. It depicts Manoj’s journey from poverty to becoming an IPS officer.

Adding to the humor, a third user quipped, “And Dangal was a blockbuster because 130% Indians are into wrestling.” The 2016 sports drama, directed by Nitesh Tiwari, narrates the story of Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari.

I mean I can understand #Tejas makers giving such random excuses.
But this coming from a brilliant filmmaker like #SidharthAnand is very unfortunate.
Bro, grow up, accept the failure and move on.
You have a loyal fan waiting to see your next one in the theatres. ❤️#Fighter pic.twitter.com/k1h6MftjDU

— Susim Mohanty (@altertwit) February 3, 2024

‘The genre of it is very new’

In the same interview, Siddharth Anand further explained, “This is my analysis. They felt like this is a little alien. For an academic discussion, consider the variation – how many percentage of Indians have a passport? How many have traveled in a plane? When you are talking about plane action, they have not understood the exhilaration they are supposed to feel during the action. There’s a certain initial disconnect like ‘Mujhe nahi pata ye kya hai (I do not know what is happening)! But once you enter the auditorium, you realize this is such a basic film. It is an emotional kahaani, a very desi story. It appeals to the lowest common denominator as a story. The genre of it is very new, and I think that was the initial hesitance.”

Fighter is acknowledged as a tribute to the sacrifice and patriotism of the Indian armed forces. The film centers around a new elite unit, Air Dragons, commissioned by the Air Headquarters in response to militant activities in the Srinagar Valley.