Laal Singh Chaddha to Jersey: Box office failures which found a huge viewership on OTT

OTT audiences were not perturbed by the lacklustre box office performances of these films.

To say that the current year saw Bollywood go through tough times would be an understatement. The year was marked by the ‘Boycott Bollywood’ trend, which saw members of the public call for the boycotts of a number of big ticket releases. The industry seemed to have hit a rough patch, with many hyped and anticipated films ending up being a box office dud when they finally hit the silver screen. But for these films, OTTs seemed to have come as a saving grace. After putting up a lacklustre box office run, many films found more than a few takers when they made their way onto OTT. here are a few of them:

Laal Singh Chaddha

Aamir Khan’s much hyped Hindi remake of the Academy Award film Forrest Gump, found itself in trouble even before its release, when it found itself the victim of the ‘Boycott Bollywood’ trend. The film chronicled the life of the titular protagonist, as he also bears witness to a number of important historical events. The film managed to rake in approximately Rs 130 crores in terms of gross worldwide earnings, falling short of its budget. But the film found a number of viewers on Netflix, earning a place among the top ten trending Indian films on the platform after its release.

Jersey

Starring Shahid Kapoor, Jersey is the Bollywood remake of Nani’s Telugu film of the same name. The film had witnessed a number of delays in its production as well as release, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite positive reviews, the film managed to earn less than its budget and was declared a failure at the box office. It faired much better on its digital release on Netflix.

Jayeshbhai Jordaar

This social comedy deals with the social evil of female foeticide, through the story of Jayesh, who leaves his regressive village with his wife and daughter, after realising that his second child will also be a girl. The film;s release had been postponed a number of times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, and the film did not have a great box office run after being released either.

Khuda Haafiz: Chapter 2 – Agni Pariksha

The sequel to 2020’s Khuda Haafiz saw Vidyut Jammwal return as Sameer, who finds renewed happiness after his trauma when he and his wife adopt a young girl. However, bad guys come in the way of his happiness, forcing Sameer to rely on his particular set of skills yet again. The film put up a lacklustre box office performance after it hit the big screens, but found a number of viewers when it hit ZEE5.

Rashtra Kavach OM

Starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjana Sanghi, this action flick follows the story of Om Kapoor, a special forces Para commando officer with a traumatic past who sets off on a mission for answers after he falls into a coma following a deadly attack. The film opened to negative reviews and failed to make a memorable box office run. When the Kapil Verma directorial was released on ZEE5, it quickly went on to garner a plethora of views.

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