Aamir Khan-Amitabh Bachchan starrer Thugs of Hindostan has been slammed by critics and audiences alike. The film received bad reviews which have caused a decline in box office collections.
Shah Rukh Khan, speaking to The Telegraph, defended Aamir saying that it was heartbreaking to see people be so harsh towards the film.
“I would like to say something. It’s a little personal and I don’t know whether it’s right to say it or not,” he said, continuing, “But this is something that has saddened me and so I want to share it. When it happened to me personally, I wasn’t so sad, but this time I am. There are people who have given excellence to cinema for years. A film can be good, a film can be bad; none of us can ever claim that we’ve made the best film in the world. Mr Bachchan and Aamir have been people who have constantly contributed to the excellence of cinema.”
He further said, “The greatest contribution to Hindi cinema in the last 10 years has been from Aamir, and with Amitji, it’s been even longer. Now if a film of theirs doesn’t reach the level that you expected it to, does it take away from what they have done for cinema? I think some people have been a little too harsh. It’s heartbreaking. It doesn’t mean that their spirit is broken, they are all amazing artistes who will bounce back.”
“But one needs to be a little less harsh,” he added. “I think Stree was fabulous and we need to make 20,000 films like that. But I also think that Thugs of Hindostan is fantastic. Sometimes we do go wrong, but Aamir has never done a film in which he hasn’t put in his best. I’ve known him for 20 years. And if there’s anyone who can put in even more effort than Aamir — which Aamir will also agree — it’s Amitji… and at this age! So they’ve come in with good hearts and great talent and tried to make a film which tries to open up a new genre.”
He lauded the makers of the film for making a film which was different from the rest and introducing a new genre of adventure fantasy into the industry.
Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Sheikh were also part of Thugs of Hindostan which released worldwide on November 8.