By News18
Veteran producer Vashu Bhagnani has opened up about the debacle of his 2024 action film Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, headlined by Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. In a candid conversation with Ronak Kotecha on his YouTube channel Reviewron, Vashu admitted that the film鈥檚 failure still stings and he considers it a misstep鈥攅specially in hindsight of what the original 1998 film achieved.
Participating in a rapid-fire round, Vashu didn鈥檛 mince words when asked for his thoughts on the latest version of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. 鈥淏ahut acchi film thi pehli waali, Amitabh Bachchan aur Govinda waali. Second waali theek nahi thi,鈥 he remarked, clearly differentiating the beloved original from its rebooted successor.
Directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, the 2024 version aimed to reinvent the title as a high-budget science fiction action film, but failed to click with audiences. Despite a promising opening day, the film鈥檚 theatrical run fizzled out quickly. Made on a hefty budget of 鈧350 crore, it managed to gross only 鈧111.5 crore worldwide, earning the unfortunate tag of a box office bomb.
Vashu didn鈥檛 hold back when reflecting on the decision to collaborate with Zafar. 鈥淚 made the biggest mistake by making Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Part 2 with Ali Abbas Zafar. He didn鈥檛 understand the title,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e got tired of telling him that this is a comedy film. You can add action, but at least make it an action-comedy.鈥
The original 1998 Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, directed by David Dhawan, was a riotous double-role comedy starring Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda. Released alongside Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, it still managed to emerge as a box office success, solidifying its place in 鈥90s Bollywood nostalgia.
Now, Vashu hopes to redeem the brand with a reboot truer to its roots. 鈥淲hen I make it again, I鈥檒l get Rumi Jaffery ji to write the story. And if David Dhawan ji doesn鈥檛 direct it, I鈥檒l ask him to produce it with me, because his mind works fast when it comes to comedy.鈥
While the 2024 version tried to modernize the franchise with a star-studded cast including Prithviraj Sukumaran, Manushi Chhillar, and Alaya F, its detour from comedy to high-octane action proved to be its undoing. Now, all eyes are on what Vashu does next to revive the legacy of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan鈥攚ith laughter, not lasers.