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Bollywood has been given the bad schtick in 2022 when it comes to their movies and at the box office. Accused of being obsessed with remakes and being trumped at the box office by films from South, Hindi cinema was being schooled by many about not focussing on content and going for remakes instead. Which is a strange advice to be given, since some of its biggest hits this year are quite the aberrations to these rules. The Kashmir Files flew high in the wake of solidarity of the plight of Kashmiri pundits, though it has been criticised for poor filmmaking. Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 was an entertainer that suffered from average jokes and a twist that wasn't original at all. As for Drishyam 2, it was a remake, right? Brahmastra might be praised for its VFX but was also slammed for its weak storyline and poor dialogues. Year-Ender 2022 Recap: From Brahmastra's Astraverse to Lokesh Cinematic Universe, 7 Indian Cinematic Universes We Were Introduced to This Year!
And 2022 is also a year when while the industry has been facing allegations of churning poor content, some very decent films have been overlooked at the box office. And the underperformance of these movies is hurting because the failures are very discouraging for filmmakers who are trying to do something different, even envelope-pushing or at least succeeded in making an entertaining film. Let's have a look at seven such Bollywood 'flops' of 2022, that deserved better from the audience.
Badhaai Do
Lifetime BO - Rs 20.62 Crore
It is not just filmmaking techniques that need to be bold and different, even the content can do the same. And Badhaai Do is definitely one of Hindi mainstream cinema's boldest offerings this year, bringing queer stories into commercial cinema and trying to break the taboo perceptions around the subject. Unfortunately despite the strong performances from Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar, Badhaai Do just didn't work at the box office.
Jhund
Lifetime BO - Rs 15.16 Crore
Acclaimed Marathi filmmaker Nagraj Manjule's foray into Bollywood may not be a Sairat, but it still manages to delve into class and caste disparity, while fashioning itself as an underdog sports film inspired from real life. Amitabh Bachchan was stupendous but he was nearly overshadowed by the talented bunch of youngsters cast in the film. Pity that despite the acclaim, Jhund didn't mint much money at the box office.
Jayeshbhai Jordaar
Lifetime BO - Rs 15.59 Crore
This YRF film shattered the usual notions of hypermasculinity associated with the male protagonist and delivered a sweet movie that takes a strong stand on women empowerment. Jayeshbhai Jordaar has one of Ranveer Singh's most versatile performances, and yet in an year dominated by hyper-masculine movies like RRR, KGF 2 and Kantara, couldn't manage to leave a mark at the box office.
Vikram Vedha
Lifetime BO - Rs 78.66 Crore
This entry is going against the intentions of this list, as I wanted to avoided remakes. But I can't ignore this Hindi remake of Vikram Vedha, because for one, it starred Hrithik Roshan. Secondly, it came with good reviews, and thirdly, it wasn't a bad remake at all, even though I still prefer Vijay Sethupathi's original Vedha act, but Hrithik Roshan just killed it here!
Goodbye
Lifetime BO - Rs 6.38 Crore
Goodbye may not be cinema at its ground-breaking and it inclines towards conservatism in its observance of traditions. But where this Abhishek Kapoor film gains its strength is in the strong emotional scenes and the performances of the whole cast, especially Amitabh Bachchan, Rashmika Mandanna and Pavail Gulati. While Big B's Uunchaii fared better at the box office, the audience preferred to watch Goodbye from their homes, when the film arrived on Netflix. Goodbye Movie Review: A Phenomenal Amitabh Bachchan and a Wonderful Rashmika Mandanna Strike the Right Emotional Notes!
Bhediya
Lifetime BO - Rs 62.33 Crore
Bhediya isn't funny as Stree, even though both the movies are set in the same universe. But the Varun Dhawan-Kriti Sanon starrer is still very likeable, and it has a few gags that will bring the house down, like the Himesh Reshammiya joke. But what's important is that Bhediya didn't make much fuss about its VFX, which is definitely better than decent, especially the werewolf scenes. In the end, some might be happy with Bhediya's theatrical performance, it is still underwhelming when you compare it with a moderately budgeted Stree that went on to make Rs 100 crore at the box office.
An Action Hero
Lifetime BO - Rs 9.59 Crore
Ayushmann Khurrana, once considered a safe bet at the box office, is now struggling to deliver a hit. That too when two of his 2022 releases - Doctor G and An Action Hero - weren't bad movies at all. The box office failure of An Action Hero is disheartening even more, considering it was universally acclaimed, and praises were being sung about the performances, its treatment and screenplay. The film's director Anirudh Iyer sums up out disappointment with this film's box office performance, when he said, "I don’t know what went wrong, but the reviews have been so wonderful. I am in a limbo; I am too happy but also upset." As someone who made one of 2022's best films, it is hard not to feel bad for this guy.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 17, 2022 11:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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