Anupam Kher on Tanvi vs Saiyaara box office: Even SRK bounces back after 4 flops
Actor-producer Anupam Kher reacted to the box office performance of his latest film ‘Tanvi: The Great’. In an interview with IndiaToday.in, the veteran actor said he didn’t mind that ‘Saiyaara’ performed better than ‘Tanvi’ at the ticket window, because he believes that his film will eventually find its audience.
He also referred to actor Shah Rukh Khan to assert that the failure of the superstar’s films doesn’t speak of his skills as an artiste.
“I’m triumphant, and I’m not faking it. I’m proud of being part of this film and this film will find its glory in terms of money also,” he said, mentioning a social media post that he shared the other day about ‘Saiyaara’s’ box office performance.
“That’s why I could make that post where I sort of said ‘Saiyaara’ performed fantastically [at the box office]. I could do that, not faking it up. Four films by Shah Rukh Khan don’t do well – it doesn’t mean that he will not bounce back in a big way.”
Kher elaborated on the legacy of ‘Tanvi: The Great’. He said his film is meant to change “people’s thinking.” The popular actor said, “I’m not saying it out of arrogance or anything, but in the next 7-8 years, it will be called a film that changed people’s thinking. It’s already done that. I’ve already got such unbelievable messages, people are crying after watching it, because it taps the goodness in them which is completely missing.”
“It taps the journey of a girl who has just no means but to sort of fulfil her dream, because that’s what comes to your mind,” he added.
“It made me a better person. It made me a person who believes in goodness completely. It made me believe that sincerity is the only thing that the camera captures. Of course, we all want the box office to go through the roof and I had also expected it, but strangely, I was telling somebody that ‘I am a bit disappointed, but I’m not sad’.”
Both ‘Saiyaara’ and ‘Tanvi: The Great’ have young protagonists. Does ‘Saiyaara’s’ success speak of the taste of the younger audience then? Kher said it’s working because a love story has taken over the screens after a long time.
“No, I’m not cynical about it. I think after a long time, a love story has come – about a boy and a girl – after a long, long time. It’s a sense of yearning – I don’t know – I’ve not seen the film, so I don’t know exactly.”
He went on, “It’s a business thing now… the kind of advance (advance booking) they got. The system says that we must give more theatres to films which are already doing well. But having said that, I think it has somewhere touched the core of the audience. But that doesn’t mean the same people cannot appreciate something for me. I don’t agree with that.”
Mahesh Bhatt, who cast Anupam Kher in his debut film ‘Saaransh’, recently appreciated ‘Tanvi’, adding that whilehe is aware of ‘Saiyaara’s’ success, the Mohit Suri film didn’t have an “original voice” like Kher’s film.
Kher expressed his gratitude to Bhatt for standing by his film despite the popular verdict in favour of ‘Saiyaara’.
“It makes me feel proud that my mentor thinks that it touched his soul. When I perform for a film and somebody says that your performance has been sold, I do feel happier. When I read that quote – somebody forwarded it to me – I read it out to my whole team,” he said.
“He has – what should I say, not audacity, that is not the right word – he has the frankness to be able to say that. Look at the frankness that he has. He is very fond of Mohit. He’s very fond of me, but he still has the truth in him to be able to say that. He has the courage.”
Kher launched his book ‘Different But No Less’ on Wednesday. The book tells the story of an autistic girl defying odds in ‘Tanvi: The Great’,but also mirrors it with his own journey of resilience.
“I’m launching my book today. I spoke to all my investors. They’re all fantastic. They’re saying ‘what a great film we are associated with. Whenever you have [money], you give it to us.’ I don’t have any issue. I made it on my own terms,” he said, highlighting that he’s happy with the response to the film and everything else will come together on its own.
Kher shared that every film is an experience for him, and even ‘Tanvi: The Great’ taught him so much as a person. He said it made him a “better human being”.
“When my financer unfortunately could not fulfil his commitment, I could have stopped the film. I was pushed to the wall, but I gave my best. Because that’s only when you can discover your power. I thought ‘let me use all my might and see what I can do’. That gives you self-worth, a perspective of life. I am happy, peaceful. It gave me immense joy. I have never experienced so much joy by making this film with so many difficulties,” he concluded.
