Vishal Bhardwaj films are considered niche products. And with Haider looking glossy, filled with angst still, one would assume that the film is for limited people. Much has already been spoken about its clash with Bang Bang but the conviction of Vishal Bhardwaj on his product speaks volumes about how sure he is about his film. Usually such films pick up much later with a word of the mouth publicity. In an interview with Koimoi, we asked Shahid if he agrees that box office prospects of films like Haider are limited. He didn’t agree on the same.
The actor explained, “It is difficult to describe, what film will work at what scale anymore. In the last years, whenever people from the industry meet and discuss it, the fact remains that we all agree box office is very unfathomable and unpredictable. It is a popular opinion. The audience has a mind of their own and it is impossible to gauge how many people will come to watch which film and to what extent will they like it. It is driven by a lot of factors. I can’t be sure whether Haider will strictly be a nice film or even whether it will connect with a large audience, small audience or medium audience. I think Haider is a film made from heart and if people get touched by what we have created then chances are that it will reach out to a lot of people. That is something which we will find out post release.”
Shahid Kapoor
But Haider seems like a movie in which a lot of effort has gone at an emotional level too. There were reports that the film’s budget was being kept tight to ease the process of recovering cost. The film was shot in fewer days as well. Shahid agrees that the film was very emotionally draining out and the physical expectations too were high. He said, “It was very emotionally taxing to be in a film like Haider. It’s a very intense character, to portray his journey was very tiring. Being in the film was like a crisis situation but once it was over, I was really tired. When I was shooting there was a strong demand for me to keep it together. After it was over, I was in bed for 18 hours to rejuvenate. We have a grueling schedule in this film and shot it in 55 days straight. It was really cold in Kashmir. When you see the film you’ll be confident it was shot over 80 days. We shot long hours, shift locations everyday. In a scene where cold is getting to you, you are standing in ice and you have to perform a break down scene ups your standard as a performer. It was very draining but I am very proud of the film we have made.”
Haider starring Shahid alongside Tabu, Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan and Shraddha Kapoor is all set to clash with Bang Bang on 2nd October. Trade buzz suggests that the 5 day long weekend will prove beneficial for both films.
