Vasan Bala Says Jigra’s Box Office Performance Was His Responsibility

Film director Vasan Bala, whose film Jigra didn’t do well at the box office, shared his thoughts when asked about the movie being Alia Bhatt’s ‘lowest box office opener’ ever. Speaking with Fever FM, Vasan also said that he needs to analyse what went wrong. He also added that it is his responsibility to “deliver box office”.

Alia was the first choice

Vasan said, “She is the first choice for every one. She could have been on any other film set, but Jigra, during that time. So she has to make that choice. And she has trusted me with that choice. So it is my responsibility to deliver box office, because we are in the business of filmmaking also.”

“So which is why I need to analyse. Kuch toh hua hai na (Something has happened, right)? Something has happened where people have stayed away, something that they have not bought, something that they didn’t feel the need to come to the theatre. If at all any other actor decides to give their time, his or her, then you know, make it worth it,” he added.

Collections

On its opening day, Jigra earned just ₹4.55 crore in India. Before Jigra, it was Alia’s 2014 film Highway which earned lesser, opened at ₹3.48 crore. Following that, all of Alia films have earned at least ₹7 crore or more, barring Kapoor & Sons. Jigra, which released on October 11 in theatres, has so far earned ₹27.30 crore as per Sacnilk.com.

Box Office Failure

Not only box office numbers but Jigra has been embroiled in a series of controversies even before it hit the theatres. In a pre-release interview, Vasan had said he was “really not happy” when producer Karan Johar forwarded the roughly drafted script of Jigra to Alia via email. Soon, Karan slammed the “gore misinterpretation” of his comments, urging people to read entire interviews before making “clickbait assumptions”.

Vasan deactivated his X account

Days later, Dharma Productions unanimously decided not to organise pre-release screenings for its upcoming films, calling it a “necessary step” to maintain a level of excitement in the movie-watching experience. There was also a claim of plagiarism against the film by actor Divya Khossla, who alleged that Jigra resembled the plot line of her last film Savi. Bijou Thaangjam, an actor hailing from Manipur, accused the casting team of Jigra of “unprofessional behaviour”. Amid the row, Vasan has deactivated his X account.