Siddharth Anand Defends Fighter Box Office Performance, Says '90% Indians Haven't Flown In Planes'

Siddharth Anand is basking in the success of Fighter. Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan headline the film. The aerial action is raking in close to ₹150 crore at the domestic box office. Even though the film has become a commercial success, a section of society has criticised it for being ‘too slick for the mass audience’. In a new interview, the filmmaker opens up and reasons why the film might not have resonated with most Indians. 

Siddharth Anand says Indians have never flown on a plane 

In an interview with Galatta Plus, Siddharth Anand spoke candidly about why Fighter did not fare as well as expected on the opening day (₹22.5 crore). The director first attributed the day of release Thursday to be a working day which is why a smaller crowd could be pulled. The second reason for the film’s lacklustre performance, the director said was the ‘genre’. He claimed that making an aerial action film was a huge ‘leap’ for him as a filmmaker. He asserted that it is new and unexplored. 

Siddharth said, “It's a space that is unexplored and it's absolutely new. It has no reference point for the audience so what they are seeing is as such big stars, a commercial director but yeh planes kya kar rahe hain (what are these planes doing).” Making a now controversial comment, the director said, “There is a huge percentage of our country, I would say 90%, who've not flow into planes, who've not been to an airport, so how do you expect them to know what's happening in the air, is my dissection. So they felt that this was a little alien. How many percentage of our population has a passport right and how many of them have actually travelled in a plane.” 

In the same discussion, Siddharth Anand said that the cine-goers did not ‘understand’ the film and could not feel the thrill with which the film was made. He added, “They’ve not understood what the exhilaration they are supposed to feel in the action. So there is an initial disconnect.” However, he added that once the audience enters the theatre and sits through the film they understand that it is ‘basic’ and an ‘emotional kahaani’ and a ‘very desi story’. He also added that no one has called the film ‘bad’, and the reviews have ranged from average to excellent. 

Netizens react to Siddharth Anand's comments on Fighter 

Siddharth’s comments have not sat well with the social media users. The filmmaker’s remarks have been doing rounds and netizens have reacted strongly against it. A user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, “In today’s time travelling in planes is very normal for Indians. Kya gareeb samajte hain ye hum sabko.” Another user wrote, “What a dumb take, “90% of our population haven't flown in the plane so they could not understand Masterpiece Fighter.” However, on user defended the filmmaker and wrote, “The reason is not correct but the fact is correct... 90% of Indians have not travelled in the plane, it's not about being rich or poor. I earn lakhs per month but still haven't travelled in an airplane, some of my known earn crores but they have not been to an airport.”