Rajkumar Santoshi On Movie Failure (Photo Credit – Wikipedia/Prime Video)
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Salman Khan and Aamir Khan’s comedy-drama Andaz Apna Apna (1994), directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, was unfortunately a box-office setback. The film didn’t have a good theatrical run and was shunned by the audience.
However, it turned out to be a massive success when it came out on cassettes and television. Over the years, the film has attained a cult status. While some say that the movie was ahead of its time, some call it the right movie at the wrong time.
According to Rajkumar Santoshi, Andaz Apna Apna failed not because of the story or the star cast but because the makers could not advertise it properly. In a recent interview with Doordarshan, Santoshi said that the publicity for the movie wasn’t done well, and people didn’t know it was a comedy.
According to Santoshi, the audience thought it was a romantic drama like Aamir’s Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak or Salman Khan’s Maine Pyar Kiya. He further said that on the day of release, he, Salman, and Aamir were not even there in the city, and there was no premiere for the movie whatsoever.
“At the time of the release, Aamir, Salman, and me, the three of us were not in the city, so there was no premiere or anything. So maybe because of that, the film didn’t get a strong response upon release. People who watched it were loving it,” India Today quoted director Rajkumar Santoshi.
Three decades later, the iconic characters of Amar-Prem and the comedy scenes of the movie are still popular. Shakti Kapoor’s epic characters Teja and Crime Master Gogo are still used in memes and jokes today.
While Santoshi has, over the years, denied making a sequel to the film, he has recently started writing a movie, Ada Apni Apni. When asked if it’s a sequel to Andaz Apna Apna, Santoshi said it’s too early to tell.
His last release was Gandhi-Godse—Ek Yudh, released in 2023. It was a commercial failure at the box office.
