One of Bollywood's top actresses, Alia Bhatt, headlines the film 'Jigra,' currently playing in theaters. Though Alia has starred in four big hits since the lockdown, this film isn't doing well at the box office. The latest figures reveal it has given Alia her lowest opening in a decade.
The film only managed a net collection of around 160 million rupees over its first weekend and began to struggle for audiences starting Monday. Trade reports state that on the fourth day, the collection dropped to just 17.5 million rupees. Directed by Vasan Bala, who has consistently been praised by cinema lovers, 'Jigra' has also garnered mixed reviews from both critics and the public. Although the film hasn't been completely dismissed in reviews, its ongoing box office struggle indicates there might be other factors affecting its performance beyond just reviews and word of mouth.
Source: aajtak
The trailer for 'Jigra' initially created a favorable buzz. However, as the release date approached, the film attracted several controversies, casting a shadow over its release. Here's a look at the issues embroiling 'Jigra':
Controversial Remarks by Director Vasan Bala
At the beginning of this month, 'Jigra's' team kicked off promotions. During an interview with the YouTube channel Tried and Tested Productions, director Vasan Bala made a comment that sparked a social media uproar.
Vasan stated that the story of the film was not written with Alia in mind. Instead, he prepared a 'rough draft' and emailed it to producer Karan Johar. Within 6-7 hours, Johar informed him that he had forwarded the same email to Alia. Bala expressed, 'I wasn’t happy with that. Had I known, I would have polished up the spelling and grammar, maybe added a dramatic hero entry. But Karan said the email was sent. I asked, 'Why did you do that?' He replied, 'That’s just how it goes.''
Bala's point was that he wanted to refine the script before pitching it to an actress of Alia's caliber. Yet, the comment was spun to suggest he was unhappy with Alia's casting. Interestingly, during the interview where he made the statement, Alia was present and found Vasan's comment amusing.
Allegations by Divya Khosla Kumar
Meanwhile, Bollywood actress Divya Khosla Kumar launched another offensive against 'Jigra.' A journalist on social media platform X shared a post from Divya's PR team accusing Alia of lifting the film 'Savi' for 'Jigra.' The note detailed the allegations as follows:
'Producer Mukesh Bhatt (Alia's uncle) bought the rights to the Hollywood film 'The Next Three Days' (2010) for 40 million rupees. When the Bhatt brothers split, Alia gave the screenplay to another production house, ignoring her uncle’s investment. Mukesh Bhatt cast Divya Khosla in the lead, only to find that Alia announced a similar film with a brother-sister angle instead of the husband-wife theme. 'Savi' was recently released and 'Jigra' is forthcoming. While Alia claims to be the nation’s biggest actress, she did not pause before betraying her 72-year-old uncle.'
Although the post was eventually deleted, it went viral quickly, with screenshots spreading all over, as demonstrated in this post:
These allegations were serious, with fans concerned about the matter escalating further. Divya Khosla is married to Bhushan Kumar, chairman of the renowned production company T-Series, whose biggest film 'Animal' stars Ranbir Kapoor, Alia's husband.
The situation worsened when Divya indirectly accused Karan Johar of stealing films through a post on her social media handle, sharing a photo of an empty theater supposedly running 'Jigra.' She captioned it accusing Alia of purchasing tickets herself to inflate box office collections.
Source: aajtak
The Nepotism Debate and Online Trolling
The controversy over Vasan Bala's remarks reignited the nepotism debate against Karan Johar, with social media platforms buzzing with trolls. Users unearthed an old statement from director Imtiaz Ali, where he recounted that Alia was recommended by Karan Johar for the film 'Highway.'
On Reddit, a user compiled a list of films where Alia's casting was reportedly influenced by Karan Johar. Observations in the list noted that in nearly all of the 20 films Alia has done, either Karan Johar or a member of the Bhatt family (including Alia, her sister, or her father) was involved as producer or co-producer.
Source: aajtak
Scrutiny over nepotism for Karan and Alia has always been intense on social media, and the controversies surrounding 'Jigra' exacerbated this, leading to negative perceptions around the film.
Accusations from Manipuri Actor
Another controversy enveloping 'Jigra' involves accusations from Manipuri actor Bijou Thangjam, who condemned the filmmakers for 'unprofessional' behavior. In his social media post, Bijou shared that he auditioned for the film in early 2023 and was told to be available for shooting in December.
He awaited updates from the makers but received none, leading him to miss other projects. Ultimately, he wasn't cast in 'Jigra' either. Bijou's post stated, 'I understand how big production houses operate. There's no denying the director’s talent, but the way this situation was handled was extremely unprofessional. For actors like me from the Northeast, this rejection felt almost as though it bordered on discrimination.'
'Jigra' reviews indicate that director Vasan Bala attempted new experiments in the action-thriller genre. Newcomer Vedang Raina has delivered a strong performance. Composer Achint Thakkar, known for iconic theme music from 'Scam 1992' and 'Kothilo' from MTV Coke Studio India, has provided excellent background music.
Overall, audiences aren't as negative about 'Jigra' as they are about the other release 'Vicky Vidya's That's-video.' However, the extent of the social media controversies has reached a point where salvaging its box office reputation seems an uphill battle.
