Ajay Devgn starrer The Legend of Bhagat Singh was a ‘big disaster’ at box office; Ramesh Taurani suffered Rs. 22 crore loss: “The company’s entire economy is shaken” 22 : Bollywood News

Ajay Devgn starrer The Legend of Bhagat Singh was a ‘big disaster’ at box office; Ramesh Taurani suffered Rs. 22 crore loss: “The company’s entire economy is shaken”

The commercial failure reportedly caused friction between Taurani and Santoshi. Rumours swirled that the producer's disappointment led Santoshi to collaborate with other producers.

Despite critical acclaim and awards galore, producer Ramesh Taurani reflects on the huge financial failure of his 2002 film, The Legend of Bhagat Singh. The Ajay Devgn starrer, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, emerged during a period saturated with Bhagat Singh biopics, ultimately leading to its commercial downfall.

Ajay Devgn starrer The Legend of Bhagat Singh was a ‘big disaster’ at box office; Ramesh Taurani suffered Rs. 22 crore loss: “The company’s entire economy is shaken”

Taurani, in a recent interview with News18, revealed the film's devastating performance at the box office. “It was a big disaster,” he said, despite the movie bagging two National Film Awards - Best Feature Film and Best Actor for Devgn.

The producer attributed the financial loss to a market flooded with similar films. “Back then, five Bhagat Singh films were being made,” he explained. Sonu Sood's portrayal of the revolutionary hit theatres a week before The Legend of Bhagat Singh, further dividing the audience. The film also clashed with Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol's offering, 23rd March 1931: Shaheed.

While two other Bhagat Singh projects remained unfinished - one by JP Dutta's production controller and another by Ramanand Sagar (released later on Doordarshan) - the sheer volume of content proved detrimental.

Taurani elaborated on the financial repercussions. “The company's entire economy is shaken,” he said. The film, with a budget of Rs. 27 crore, only managed to recover Rs. 5 crore, resulting in a staggering loss of Rs. 22 crore. “We paid everyone back,” Taurani asserted. “The risk was ours, but the work was theirs. We knew multiple films were being made on this and yet we took a call because of our script.”

The commercial failure reportedly caused friction between Taurani and Santoshi. Rumours swirled that the producer's disappointment led Santoshi to collaborate with other producers for his next project, Khakee.

Taurani acknowledged the initial tension. “We were upset because The Legend of Bhagat Singh faced such a huge loss and then he went on to his next with someone else. So that hurt was there,” he admitted. However, he clarified that the issue was eventually resolved. “Maybe the financial benefit there was more,” Taurani said understandingly.

After Khakee, their collaborations resumed with films like Family: Ties of Blood, Halla Bol, and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.