Hrithik Roshan’s much-hyped War 2 may have stumbled at the box office, but the actor has finally broken his silence – and he chose humour as his weapon.
After weeks of speculation around his reaction to the film’s underwhelming performance, Hrithik addressed the setback during a recent public appearance.
Hrithik Roshan jokes about War 2’s flop run
The actor was in Dubai for an event at the Coca Cola Arena when he playfully took a dig at his own film while interacting with the host. War 2, which hit theatres on August 14, failed to connect with a large chunk of the audience despite massive pre-release expectations.
The host introduced Hrithik with glowing praise, saying, ‘It feels amazing to be sharing the stage with such a big global icon. We were just discussing earlier how it’s been so many years since we’ve been seeing you on screen. Oh, what a moment this is guys. A big round of applause for the superstar himself over here.’
As the crowd erupted in applause, Hrithik responded with a candid quip: ‘That’s very kind of you… You know, my film just bombed at the box office, so it feels very good to get all the love, Thank you.’
Hrithik reflects on playing Kabir
Earlier, Hrithik addressed the film’s journey in a long Instagram note, sharing behind-the-scenes moments from the shoot. Opening up about his experience, he wrote: ‘Playing kabir was so much fun. So relaxed , knew him so well. It was going to be easy. Finally a movie I could do like so many others do, keep it simple , play the actor, do your job and come home. And it was exactly that. I was taken care of so well by my director Ayaan. It was such a pleasure to have his energy on set.’
He continued, “Everything seemed so perfect. Like it’s meant to be. A sure shot. No worries , just needed to do my job right. Which Ofcourse I did. But something was lurking behind that presumptuous certainty. A voice that I kept shutting out..”This is too easy … I know this too well.” And another that said ‘I deserve it , every film doesn’t have to be a torture and trauma and an incessant search for the truth of the moment.'”Just relax.””
Where War 2 fell short
Despite strong star power from Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR, War 2 failed to match the audience’s expectations. The film, released over the Independence Day weekend, received a mixed critical response, with complaints largely directed at its uninspired writing and underwhelming VFX.
Directed by Ayan Mukerji, the film marks the sixth chapter in the YRF Spy Universe, following Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, War, Pathaan, and Tiger 3. The ensemble also includes Kiara Advani and Ashutosh Rana in key roles.
The film faced tough competition from Rajinikanth’s Coolie at the box office and managed to earn only ₹236.55 crore net in India and ₹364.35 crore worldwide, falling short of recovering its reported ₹400 crore budget.