Brahmastra’s success shows boycott is not affecting Bollywood films, says Riteish Deshmukh: ‘It still is a blockbuster’

Riteish Deshmukh has said Brahmastra’s success at the box office has ended a ‘dry spell’ for the Hindi film industry. The actor spoke about the film and the recent spate of failures in Bollywood in a new interview. He also touched upon the boycott Bollywood trend and added that Brahmastra’s success shows that it’s content, not boycott calls, which is determining Hindi films’ fate. Also read: Prakash Jha says he’ll react to boycott trends when good films suffer

Brahmastra Part One- Shiva, directed by Ayan Mukerji and starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, is a fantasy epic that has reportedly grossed ₹425 crore worldwide in just under four weeks. It is the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year and the third-highest-grossing Indian film of the year, behind only KGF: Chapter 2 and RRR. However, before it, the Hindi film industry saw a spate of big-budget flops, including Laal Singh Chaddha, Shamshera, Samrat Prithviraj, etc. Many attributed their failing to a boycott Bollywood trend on social media that targetted several of these films.

Speaking on Unfiltered by Samdish, Riteish talked about why Bollywood films hadn’t been working. “If the films are not working, we are not giving good enough content. If the films are flopping and there is a boycott trend, we feel they are not working because of the boycott. But then Brahmastra is the answer for you. It faced a boycott trend and still is a blockbuster,” he said.

When asked if Brahmastra’s success had come as a relief for him, Riteish compared it to the rain at the end of the 2001 film Lagaan, which ended the drought in Champaner, where the film was set. Riteish added, “When it rains at the end of Lagaan, it’s bigger than the cricket match win. It’s the same thing. There was a dry spell. Then came Brahmastra. It rained. It’s great. The same thing is for every industry. There is always a ripple effect to everything and it’s always wonderful. I feel that any success, whether it’s yours or others’, you should be happy and celebrate it.”

Riteish was last seen in Plan A Plan B opposite Tamannaah Bhatia. The film was released on Netflix on September 30 to mixed reviews. He will next be seen in Marathi film Vedd, which he is directing himself.