Siddharth Anand: From SRK's Savior To Hrithik's Oppressor

Siddharth Anand, the director known for his surprising hits in his 20-year-old career, had an unexpected failure with "Fighter" this year.

His last film in 2023 was "Pathaan," which reshaped Shah Rukh Khan's career by earning over Rs 1000 Cr worldwide at the box office. This marked the first time in SRK's career that a film achieved this milestone, followed later by "Jawan" by Atlee.

But what made "Pathaan" such a big deal on the Indian screen?

It was during a time when SRK was facing a string of flops and seemed to be at the end of his career. Having hardly scored any massive hits in the last 8 years, his fan base consisted mostly of people in their 30s and older, with few teenagers left among his fans.

Fans eagerly awaited his comeback and were ready to support him even with the slightest positive feedback.

Siddharth Anand then delivered an action-packed film that resonated with teenage audiences as well. With Deepika's glamorous presence, SRK managed to score this massive hit, bringing huge success to Siddharth as well.

However, his subsequent film "Fighter," featuring another top star, Hrithik, failed miserably at the box office. Even Deepika's glamorous appearance couldn't salvage it this time.

Siddharth complains that the audience couldn't connect with the storyline based on the Indian Air Force. However, the film didn't aim to teach Aeronautics; it was a regular military operation with some clichéd drama among colleagues.

The audience mainly seeks drama and emotion but cares little about the backdrop. Siddharth failed miserably with his script this time.

He presented some outdated, clichéd patriotic content that didn't resonate well with the new-age audience, who flock to theaters even with the slightest positive buzz.

Therefore, Siddharth Anand shouldn't blame the audience but should recognize his own mistakes. Taking credit for a hit and blaming the audience for failure reflects poorly on the director.