SRK on Thugs of Hindostan debacle: I think some people have been a little too harsh

After smashing box office records on the day of its release, Thugs of Hindostan has been finding it a little hard to pull the audience to theaters. The action-adventure drama, starring superstars Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan, has been panned by critics. A few fans of the two actors have even slammed them for not meeting expectations and have criticised them in strong words on social media. But actor Shah Rukh Khan believes it’s unfair to overlook the good work done by an actor if a film fails to impress.

“There are people who have given excellence to cinema for years. A film can be good, a film can be bad; none of us can ever claim ki ‘maine duniya ki sabsi achchi film banayi hain.’ Mr Bachchan and Aamir have been people who have constantly contributed to the excellence of cinema. The greatest contribution to Hindi cinema in the last 10 years has been from Aamir, and with Amitji, it’s been even longer. Now if a film of theirs (Thugs of Hindostan) doesn’t reach the level that you expected it to, does it take away from what they have done for cinema?” said Shah Rukh in a recent interview with The Telegraph.

He continued, “I think some people have been a little too harsh. It’s heartbreaking. It doesn’t mean that their spirit is broken, they are all amazing artistes who will bounce back. But one needs to be a little less harsh. Aamir has never done a film in which he hasn’t put in his best… I’ve known him for 20 years. And if there’s anyone who can put in even more effort than Aamir — which Aamir will also agree — it’s Amitji… and at this age! So they’ve come in with good hearts and great talent and tried to make a film which tries to open up a new genre.”

The Zero actor also emphasised that with Thugs of Hindostan, Amitabh and Aamir attempted something new since “an adventure film has not been made in India in decades.”

Shah Rukh Khan recently released the trailer of his upcoming film Zero also starring Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. The film, featuring SRK as a vertically challenged man, will hit the theaters on December 21 this year.