Vicky Kaushal on Zara Hatke Zara Bachke success: Audiences aren’t discriminating between budget or stars

Vicky Kaushal was nervous about his latest film heading for a big screen release after three years since the pandemic changed the matrix of box-office business. However, he was in for a treat when Zara Hatke Zara Bachke received positive reviews. “The film being declared a hit is very special for many reasons. It was my first theatrical release post Covid-19 crisis. I was really curious to see the reaction, was nervous and excited as well thinking what’s going to happen. To see people go to theatres to watch a film has turned out to be the biggest joy,” says an excited Vicky.

The 35-year-old says the success of Zara Hatke Zara Bachke has shunned the notion that the audience is discriminating between films based on budget or star power and that only big-scale projects are working in theatres.

“All these conversations were making us nervous wondering if people would turn up in theatres for our film, which is not a visual spectacle or high on action or mounted on a big scale,” says Vicky, adding, “But, the audience could relate to the subject around middle class values and struggles. Clearly, audiences are no longer discriminating between budget or scale or stars or cast. We felt so happy to get that validation by the people who watched it.”

When it comes to the box-office collections so far for this year, barring Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan, no other film has managed to draw a huge footfall to theatres. However, Vicky asserts that he’s not really fixated about the numbers his film minted, but the notion it laid out.

“People’s love is our biggest motivation and encouragement to keep bringing stories which we feel instinctively. I was having my reservations about the film, but looking at the packed houses and people resonating with the subject, goes beyond numbers. It means the world to me,” he says adding, “For any film or an actor, it’s not always about contributing to the revival of big screen business. It’s about showing that people will resonate with the content you make. People just want to come to the theatres and connect to the story and characters with honesty. That’s what has been proved.”

Vicky adds that this acceptance and validation from audiences has put him in a “super positive mindset” and made him “hungry to give in my more than 100%” in whatever work he will do next.

That being said, the actor confesses that he tries to stay detached from the fate of the project as much as he can. “It helps me keep my head steady, and feet grounded. The night that I don’t get sleep is when I feel that I could have done better or the day was not good in terms of my performance. When a film works, it gives me happiness, if it doesn’t, it does affect you, but it’s important to keep yourself slightly detached. When a film comes out, it’s important to believe that the film is no more yours and that it belongs to the audience,” he concludes.