Movie News
When Manoj Bajpayee's film "1971" released in 2007 it went largely unnoticed. Based on the lives of 54 prisoners of war it struggled at the box office and lacked proper promotion.
However during the 2020 lockdown "1971" became a viral hit on social media,gaining views on YouTube through word of mouth without any OTT platform or PR support.
Director Amrit Sagar who always believed in the film expressed disappointment over its initial failure recalling theaters lacking promotion and poor audience turnout.
Amrit shared that he had initially approached Manoj Bajpayee with a different film but they agreed on "1971" instead.
Despite financial struggles Amrit's grandfather Ramanand Saga supported the project with personal funds. The film's budget was Rs 1.85 crore with Rs 40 lakh going to Bajpayee.
Though the film won a National Film Award Amrit felt its true success was its later popularity.
With over 8 million views on YouTube "1971" continues to find an audience. Amrit hinted at a potential prequel detailing how the characters became POWs.
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