Anubhav Sinha may have reinvented himself in the last seven years with socially conscious cinema like Mulk (2018), Article 15 (2019), and Thappad (2020), but the failure of his 2011 superhero film Ra.One continued to haunt him for the longest time.
Though he maintains he had a great time working with Shah Rukh Khan, the baggage of that setback stayed with him for years.
“It didn’t turn out the way all of us wanted to do. It was a heartbreak, which I carried in my heart, chest, and shoulders until 2018, when Mulk released. I’d almost given up on myself as a director. I’d decided I won’t direct,” said Sinha. “I wrote Mulk in the next three days. I went out in the market, money took a bit of time. And then I went there and made it. It had become impossible to not make it,” added the filmmaker.
In the interview with Faye D’Souza, Anubhav Sinha said he was “flabbergasted” when Ra.One was about to release. “We were travelling against time. Tonight, we’re in Dubai, then we travel to London on the same day for another premiere, then Toronto, then Los Angeles. Travelling back in time for four premieres across four nights. It was massive,” recalled Sinha.
He claimed working with Shah Rukh made him feel like a “kid lost in a candy store.” “One Banaras (Varanasi) boy was sitting in Shah Rukh Khan’s house, and Shah Rukh Khan is asking him what he’d eat. And then the whole process went for six years. Great fun, great guy,” said the filmmaer.
“It is so strange that he continues to be a middle-class boy at heart. He’s so middle-class it’s not funny,” said Sinha, adding, “See, middle-class is not just about money. The last time I met him, I told him that he’s quite middle class. And he agreed (laughs). He has all the money in the world! But what makes you happy? Does the Gucci make you happier or does the fact that your sister is happy makes you happier?”
Anubhav Sinha said it was a “discovery” to see how Shah Rukh Khan takes care of his sister Shahnaz Lalarukh Khan, and his kids — budding filmmaker Aryan Khan, actor Suhana Khan, and the youngest, AbRam Khan. “That’s an achievement. It’s difficult to be the guy who’s that universally popular — let’s not even talk about the money — to be rooted and grounded. He’s a phenomenal guy. I kept telling him, more than making this film, it’s a privilege to know you,” added Sinha.
Ra.One, produced by Shah Rukh’s banner Red Chillies Entertainment, also starred Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal, among others. Although it earned more than its budget of Rs 150 crore, and even grossed the Rs 200 crore mark worldwide, it wasn’t considered a humongous hit.