Aamir Khan reflects on ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ failure, says, ‘When my films fail, I go into a sort of depression’

Bollywood star Aamir Khan recently spoke about the disappointing box office performance of his 2022 film Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of the American classic Forrest Gump. At an event, the actor looked back on the emotional effects of the film's failure and what he has learned from the experience.

‘When my films fail, I go into a sort of depression for two to three weeks,’ says Aamir Khan

Aamir Khan, who is particularly committed to each project, confessed that the underwhelming reaction to the film was hard to take. “When my films don't succeed, I am sad,” he revealed. “Filmmaking is tough, and sometimes things don’t go as planned. In Laal Singh Chaddha, my performance was a bit too high, and it didn’t work as well as Tom Hanks’ version.”

He also admitted the emotional cost, stating that following a box office disappointment, he goes through a “sort of depression” that persists for weeks.

Yet Aamir is a glass-half-full kind of guy, insisting that failure is a necessary component of development. “When my films fail, I go into a sort of depression for two to three weeks. Then, I sit with my team, analyze what went wrong, and learn from it. I really value my failures because they push me to do better,” he stated, going on to say that he spends the time studying what went wrong and doing better.

Impact on Family and Co-stars

Those close to Aamir Khan shared his disappointment. In a previous interview his former wife, filmmaker Kiran Rao, acknowledged how deeply the setback affected him. Co-star Kareena Kapoor also recalled Aamir’s reaction, saying, “He met me and asked, ‘Our movie didn’t work. You will still talk to me, right?’” Kareena reassured him and expressed pride in the film despite its reception.

Looking Ahead to ‘Sitaare Zameen Par’

Committed to coming back stronger, Aamir Khan is currently busy with Sitaare Zameen Par, a sequel to his critically successful Taare Zameen Par.