Not all big film stars come with big ego. Trade critic Komal Nahta says he has been at the receiving end of petty revenge by filmmakers, who have barred him from their events because he gave an unfavorable review to their films. That isn’t the case with two stars that Nahta mentioned, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan, both of whom are “mature” in the way they receive criticism.
In an interview with actor Vishal Malhotra, Komal Nahta revealed how he had seen Laal Singh Chaddha eight months before its August 2022 release and told Aamir Khan that the Forrest Gump remake would be a “disaster”. The drama, also starring Kareena Kapoor, was a major box office flop.
When talking about petty revenge in the movie business, Nahta said some stars are “above all of this”. He said, “Like Aamir and Salman. I had seen Laal Singh Chaddha eight months before it was released. I told him it is a disaster! He asked me how much did it connect with me, I said zero. Not once did he try to influence me, not once did he think that I should be kept away from him. That is maturity.”
The trade critic also spoke about Salman and said he has written “good and bad things” about his films, but “his equation doesn’t change just because I have not liked his films.” He added, “I only think about my readers and viewers, I owe it to them to be honest. If even a percent is misled by me, it’s a crime.”
Komal Nahta, who has been monitoring film trade for decades now, recalled how he had even told producer Firoz Nadiadwala that his Priyadarshan directed comedy Hera Pheri would be a flop. The comedy starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal is considered a cult today.
“Hera Pheri didn’t work at the box office. Firoz Nadiadwala had called me and said, ‘It’s an outstanding flop– which means it is an outstanding film, but which will flop at the box office.’ He got annoyed and said, ‘Kya bakwaas kar raha hai?‘
“I said it is a superb film, which just won’t work because it is a comedy, a genre which was considered a taboo. It started with Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1990), where comedy films were not working and then came a time when every hero was doing one,” he added.
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