In a cinematic landscape often defined by the success of its blockbuster releases, Siddharth Anand, the director behind Pathaan and War, gears up for his next venture, Fighter. With Hrithik Roshan, and Deepika Padukone in pivotal roles, the film carries the weight of high expectations following the monumental success of Pathaan. In an interview with News18 Showsha, Anand delves into Shah Rukh Khan’s reaction to the Fighter trailer and addresses the pressure of living up to post-Pathaan anticipation.
Despite the grand success of Pathaan, Siddharth Anand remains humble about the expectations surrounding his upcoming film. He shares Shah Rukh Khan’s positive response to the Fighter trailer. Sharing SRK’s reaction, Anand said, “He loved the trailer. In fact, I met him the day it was released. He loved the look of the villain and the stunts. According to him, the CGI appeared very seamless. He was very impressed.”
Siddharth Anand also admitted that he doesn’t expect Fighter to make the same numbers as Pathaan. He said, “I don’t expect that this time around. With Pathaan, it just happened. I got blessed with it. Pathaan was blessed and special. But I don’t want Fighter to be compared to anything. I didn’t want Pathaan to be compared to War either. I want Fighter to chart its own world because it’s its own film.”
He also spoke about feeling the pressure this time around following Pathaan’s success and said, “I would lie if I told you that I’m not feeling the pressure of the expectations that people have of me and my films post Pathaan. I feel it every moment but I need to isolate myself and understand that each film has its own journey.”
Meanwhile, Fighter is all set to be released in theaters on January 25, one day before Republic Day. The film stars Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan and Anil Kapoor, and serves as the first film in a planned aerial action franchise.