Acclaimed filmmaker Nagraj Manjule has expressed disappointment over the underperformance of the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer “Jhund“. The film, which was directed by Manjule and produced by Bhushan Kumar, released in June 2022 and received mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike.
In the interview Manjule addresses Jhund’s perfromance and that he has learnt a lesson that promoting a film well is as important as making a good film. When asked if he too feels that Jhund didn’t receive the love it deserved, he said, “Haan! I think so too. But the time that it was, during Covid-19 and I also feel that we did not promote the film well. I felt people would like the film… People who watched it have liked it but many have not watched it. I think it happens sometimes, the world went through a very tough time and many films were releasing one after the other, we had two- three big films releasing in one week, so that also affected.”
But did he have higher expectations from Jhund because he had Amitabh Bachchan leading the film, a biographical sports drama based on the life of Vijay Barse, the founder of NGO Slum Soccer. “Of course we had expectations,” he says. “But I also knew that it wasn’t a film like Sairat that it would become popular. Jhund had Bachchan sir, most of the actors from Sairat, even if the Marathi audiences had seen the film, it would be a successful film, but that didn’t happen.”
When asked if he is worried that his audiences only seem to be accepting his Marathi directorials and not Hindi film, he said, “Aisa nahi hai. During Covid-19 a lot of films were coming, every week there were at least two big films released. So looking at the situation and the time Jhund released in, I think, considering the money it made and the reach it got, the film did fairly well. But I am sure Jhund could do better.
Manjule confessed that Jhund has been a major learning experience for him. “I have learnt the importance to promote my films better, and make sure that my film reaches maximum people. People should know your film is coming. If people watch it and tell me it was bad, that’s okay. I like negative feedback, I take it constructively, but when people don’t watch it and say that it is a good film, then I don’t like it. A lot of people now know that Jhund had released and tell me that they’ve heard that it is a good film. I wish they had seen it too, that too in theatres, because it helps the film and people can enjoy films better on the big screen.”
Nagraj Manjule’s disappointment over the underperformance of “Jhund” is understandable, given the passion and hard work that went into making the film. However, it is important to note that box office success does not always reflect the quality of a film or its message.