Film director, Anubav Sinha reflected on the failure of 'Ra.One', admitting that he lost creative control and sensed the industry's negativity towards Shah Rukh Khan.
Shah Rukh Khan, the undisputed King of Bollywood, introduced a revolutionary sci-fi spectacle with his 2011 film, Ra.One. The film, directed by Anubav Sinha and starring SRK, featured groundbreaking VFX, a high-energy soundtrack, and an ambitious storyline. However, despite its massive scale and anticipation, the film ended up being one of Bollywood’s most polarising projects.
In a recent interview with The Lallantop, director Anubhav Sinha reflected on the film’s turbulent journey, admitting that he lost creative control and sensed an undercurrent of industry negativity aimed at Shah Rukh Khan. Anubhav, who gained immense praise for his films such as Thappad and Article 15, shared how Ra.One had been his dream project since 2005, while the script development began a year later. Recalling how the film’s official announcement happened unexpectedly, Anubhav shared that SRK had casually revealed the film during a press conference in Berlin. He said:
“Shah Rukh Khan announced the film out of nowhere and got on a plane to India. I was bombarded with phone calls for the next eight hours. I didn’t even know if he had actually confirmed it. When I finally got in touch with him, he casually said, ‘Why hide it?’”
Anubhav admitted that despite being the film’s director, he struggled to keep up with the project’s enormous scale, given the involvement of an international crew, including an American VFX supervisor and Italian cinematographer. He also admitted that things would often get overwhelming to him. Talking about the gruelling days of work, Anubhav revealed:
“I was spending 18 hours a day with Shah Rukh Khan, managing a massive production. Everyone around me knew more cinema than I did. I was overwhelmed," he confessed. However, SRK’s intelligence and charm ensured Sinha never felt sidelined. “He had a way of making you believe his ideas were yours. That’s how persuasive he is."
Despite its cutting-edge VFX and chartbuster soundtrack, Ra.One struggled to strike a chord with audiences. Anubhav cited script and editing issues as major flaws. However, aside from these, he also revealed that he felt an unspoken hostility towards SRK within the industry. He admitted:
“There were people who wanted Shah Rukh Khan to fail. I’ve been in the industry long enough to sense it. When Shah Rukh finally admitted that the film flopped, it was heartbreaking. I felt like I had betrayed the film and his trust. I couldn’t deliver a film that he could be proud of.”
Ra.One was Bollywood’s bold leap into sci-fi, bringing a parallel gaming universe, a menacing anti-hero, and a heroic counterpart to the big screen. Shah Rukh Khan played dual roles as a game developer named ‘Shekhar’, and his virtual self, ‘G.One’, alongside Kareena Kapoor Khan, Armaan Verma, and Arjun Rampal. With a massive budget of around Rs. 120 crore, the film received mixed response and underperformed at the box office but recovered its investment.
What are your views on Anubhav Sinha’s revelations about Ra.One?
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