Shah Rukh Khan was all about sealing the deal in 2011, everything was working out great for the actor. All that he touched would turn into gold, as his films were doing great at the box office and he was marking himself as a global superstar. It was also around the same time that the actor decided to come up with a rather ambitious project- it was not just ambitious for him but it was something that Bollywood hadn't tried before. The budget of the film was really high but the expectations from the film were higher. Sadly, Ra One, directed by Anubhav Sinha tanked badly at the box office.
In a recent interview with The Lallantop, the director spoke about the failure of the film and all that went behind it. He spoke about how the film was conceptualised in 2005, and SRK went on to reveal all about it at a press conference in Berlin.
Anubhav said, "I conceptualised the film in 2005, and started writing it in 2006. Of course, I was in talks with Shah Rukh Khan about the film, but nothing was written in stone. However, at a press conference in Berlin, Shah Rukh Khan announced the project, and got on the plane to India. Honestly, I didn't know if he had actually said anything, and I didn't know what to say. Eight hours later, when I could connect to him, he simply said, 'Why hide it?'"
The director in the interview mentioned that the film did not pan out the way he had initially envisioned it but he clarified that there were never any budget constraints that were imposed by SRK as a producer.
Nothing like Ra One had been made in Bollywood before, many even consider it as way ahead of its time. Talking about the making, Anubhav said, "I was spending 18 hours a day with Shah Rukh Khan. There was an Italian cameraman, and an American VFX supervisor, and all of them knew more cinema than me. I was overwhelmed by the resources," said the Anek filmmaker, who shared that Shah Rukh Khan's way with words ensured he never felt overshadowed.
"He is a very intelligent person. He knew how to impress his decision on you without you feeling bad about it. Of course, I was consulted about everything, including the casting. In fact, even bringing Akon for Chammak Chalo was initiated by Vishal-Shekhar. I called up Shah Rukh and said, 'Akon chaahiye' (We need Akon), and all he replied was 'Let me try...' and then it is Shah Rukh Khan. He makes things happen."
He clearly mentioned that the film failed to work at the box office because it was simply a bad film. He acknowledged that the script and the editing were bad. Anubhav mentioned that if given a chance he would want to change a lot about the film except for the music and the VFX that had been used in the film.
Anubhav addressed the negativity that surrounded the film as well as Shah Rukh at that point. He said, "During the second week of its run, I realised that the film wouldn't run the way we expected it to. I was depressed. I reached out to Kishore Lulla in London, and he assured me that Shah Rukh Khan and him would make money from the film, even though it wasn't performing very well," said Anubhav, pressing on how many in the industry wanted the film to fail.
"I believe that there were people in the film industry who wanted Shah Rukh Khan to fall. I have been long enough in cinema to understand that kind of a feeling in people. But yeah, when Shah Rukh Khan conceded that the film flopped, it was heartbreaking because I betrayed the film, and his trust on me. I couldn't deliver a film that he could be proud of."
Ra One was released in theatres in October 2011 and featured Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Rampal in important roles. The film had been produced by Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan and Karim Morani.
