‘Releasing Gandhi Godse with Pathaan was a mistake’: Rajkumar Santoshi

Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi, whose last film was Gandhi Godse -Ek Yudh, has said that releasing the film with Pathaan ‘was a mistake’. In a new interview, Rajkumar also said that he chose the cast for his upcoming film Bad Boy as ‘they suit the part’ and not because they were actor Mithun Chakraborty and producer Sajid Qureshi’s children. In the film, Mithun’s son Namashi Chakraborty and Sajid’s daughter Amrin have been featured as the lead pair. (Also Read | AR Rahman reacts to Gandhi Godse controversy: ‘Unfortunately, Rajkumar Santoshi is a victim…’)

Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh, set in post-independence India of 1947-48, depicts the war of ideologies between Nathuram Godse and Mahatma Gandhi. It released on January 26, 2023. Pathaan, an action thriller film, was directed by Siddharth Anand. The film released on January 25, 2023. It stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia, and Ashutosh Rana.

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Rajkumar was asked about his decision to opt for a solo release of Bad Boy. He responded if the decision followed after Gandhi Godse was severely affected when released with Pathaan. Rajkumar said, “Yes, releasing Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh with Pathaan was a mistake. As for Bad Boy’s release, it has been planned by producer Sajid Qureshi. And yes this is a good release date.”

He also spoke about Bad Boy, “Sajid bhai told me that Mithun Chakraborty’s son Namashi is very interested to work. I made it clear, ‘I’ll audition him and if required, I’ll even shoot a scene with him. If he’s right, we’ll consider him’. Similarly, someone told me about Amrin and I auditioned her. It was a no-brainer that they’ll bag the film only if they suit the part and not because Namashi is Mithun da’s son or Amrin is the producer’s daughter. Both were obedient and disciplined on the sets.”

Bad Boy is slated to release on April 28, 2023. The film will introduce Namashi and Amrin. The quirky romantic comedy will be produced by Inbox Pictures. The plot of the romantic drama is about two opposites falling in love and fighting through all odds to be with each other. Apart from Namashi and Amrin, Rajpal Yadav and Johnny Lever.