Kalank Disappoints at Box Office! Before Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt’s Film, Looking at Karan Johar’s Biggest Flops As Producer

Did anyone think Kalank would turn out to be such a disaster? That's the way of the box office. Kalank had one of the most exciting star casts in recent times, with Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Sanjay Dutt playing the leads. Not to mention, Kunal Kemmu and Kiara Advani in the cast too. The movie has Karan Johar's brand on it with the producer making all the right moves recently with his films. The period setting of the film is also an attractor as such films have found acceptance with the audience. Kalank Movie Review: Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Kunal Kemmu Shine in a Beautifully-Framed but Dull Love Saga Set During the Partition.

However, Kalank turned out to be a tedious, garbled watch that overstays its welcome. It received mixed to poor reviews from the critics, as well as negative word-of-mouth publicity from the early audiences. After taking a big start at the box office, Kalank's collections began to dip from the second day onwards. Although it had released on a Wednesday, Kalank could not even gross more than Rs 70 crore at the domestic box office over its five-day extended opening weekend that includes two public holidays. Point to note here, is that the film is made on a budget of Rs 150 crore. OUCH!

Going by the cost at hand and the profits (read, losses) made, there is no doubt that Kalank is one of the biggest bombs among Karan Johar's productions, if not the biggest. But it is not the first big flop that his company, Dharma Productions, has seen. Kalank Box Office Collection Day 5: Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt's Film Fares Below Average in the Extended Opening Weekend, Rakes in Rs 66.03 Crore.

In this feature, we look at those movies from Dharma that failed to utilise the KJo charm and were disasters at the box office. Please note, we are considering the movies from the time Karan Johar took over the company from his father, the late Yash Johar.

Kurbaan

Even with the presence of the in-love couple, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, and some steamy sequences between them, this terrorism drama was a disappointment commercially.

Ungli

Sanjay Dutt, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana Ranaut and Randeep Hooda played the leads in this vigilante drama. Despite the interesting premise, Ungli, directed by Rensil D'Silva (who had also made Kurbaan), failed to work at the box office. Kangana was so pissed off with how her character was butchered in the film that her ire with Karan Johar continues to this date.

Gori Tere Pyaar Mein

Punit Malhotra scored a hit with his debut directorial, I Hate Luv Storys. However, he couldn't work out the magic the second time around, even with the likeable pairing of Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu leads Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan. What can you say about your film when the best part about it was a cameo from Shraddha Kapoor?

Gippi

This coming-of-age teenage drama, directed by Sonam Nair, had its heart in the right place and a sweet story to narrate. Unfortunately, no one wanted to pay attention to it.

Brothers

This horrendous remake of the Hollywood film, Warrior, had a horribly miscast Akshay Kumar and Sidharth Malhotra in the lead. The movie received negative reviews and could not recover its big budget.

Shaandaar

Alia Bhatt-Shahid Kapoor's fresh pairing and Vikas Bahl returning as a director after making critically acclaimed Queen were the USP of the film. However, this romcom turned out to be too bizarre for the mainstream audience's tastes and tanked horribly.

Baar Baar Dekho

Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif play the leads in this interesting romantic drama that has elements of time travel. But even with such an intriguing premise and the chartbuster "Kala Chashma" song, Baar Baar Dekho neither impressed the critics nor managed to draw in the crowds.

OK Jaanu 

This remake of a popular Tamil romantic drama, OK Kanmani, was a complete non-starter at the box office. Surprising, considering that Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur's jodi was appreciated and AR Rahman's score was a hit.

Nearly Made to the List: Kaal, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu, Ittefaq, Hasee Toh Phasee

However, we can see the debacle of Kalank as just a minor debacle for Karan Johar. There are some biggies coming out from his production house that have the potential to rule at the box office, like Tiger Shroff's Student of the Year 2, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's Brahmastra and Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif's Sooryavanshi. Not to mention, Karan Johar's own directorial, the historical Takht.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2019 04:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).