BackTen actors who failed as directors
As Sunny Deol returns to direction 17 years after a failed attempt, here's a list of 10 other actors who didn't enjoy the best run as directors
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New Delhi: Sunny Deol returns to direction with this Friday’s release Ghayal Once Again, a sequel to his landmark 1990 film Ghayal. The action drama comes 17 years after his directorial debut Dillagi, co-starring brother Bobby Deol and Urmila Matondkar, which failed at the box office.
Whether Deol will strike back with his second directorial attempt remains to be seen but here’s a list of 10 other actors who didn’t enjoy the best run as directors.
1.Ajay Devgn: Devgn directed his first and, until now, only feature film U Me Aur Hum in 2008. The warm romantic drama co-starred wife Kajol but despite intense performances by both of them, the film, a lift from The Notebook, hardly made an impact, collecting only about ₹ 11 crore at the box office. Devgn is taking another shot at direction with a high-voltage action drama called Shivaay, in which he stars himself and which is produced by Eros International. It will release during Diwali this year.
2.Naseeruddin Shah: Shah directed Yun Hota To Kya Hota, a drama about four people whose lives intersect during the 9/11 attacks, which released in 2006. Featuring an ensemble cast, including Konkona Sen Sharma, Ayesha Takia, Paresh Rawal, Jimmy Shergill, Irrfan Khan and others, the film made a little over ₹ 70 lakh in box office collections.
3.Pankaj Kapur: Veteran actor Pankaj Kapur directed son Shahid Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in Mausam, a 2011 romantic drama. The film was set against the backdrop of life-changing incidents of Indian history from the Babri Masjid demolition to the Godhra riots. The length and old-world vibes didn’t work for Kapur and the film tanked with collections of ₹ 29 crore and some savage reviews.
4. Shashi Kapoor: Kapoor’s fantasy superhero film Ajooba, starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, is best remembered for its Russian actors whose speech was anything but in sync with Hindi dialogues. The ostentatious, bizarre film based on Arabian mythology earned about ₹ 2.3 crore and remains one of Bollywood’s biggest failures.
5.Rishi Kapoor: Like many other members of his family, Kapoor also took the director’s chair. Aa Ab Laut Chalein, starring Akshaye Khanna and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, was a romantic family drama propagating love for India and all things Indian. The film was a below-average performer at the box office with collections of ₹ 9 crore.
6.Shammi Kapoor: Kapoor directed the highly progressive Manoranjan, starring Zeenat Aman in 1974, and romantic comedy Bundal Baaz, starring Rajesh Khanna in 1976. Neither was commercially successful.
7.Hema Malini: Malini is credited with introducing Shah Rukh Khan to audiences with her romantic film Dil Aashna Hai in 1992. Many years later, she directed her daughter Esha Deol in a family drama called Tell Me O Kkhuda released in 2011 about a young girl who learns she’s adopted and sets off in search of her birth parents. With collections of ₹ 1.25 crore and ₹ 1.28 crore, respectively, the two films didn’t fare well.
8.Anupam Kher: The internationally renowned actor has directed one film till date—the family saga Om Jai Jagadish in 2002, starring Waheeda Rehman, Anil Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Urmila Matondkar. The sugar-coated story earned about ₹ 6 crore in box office collections and was a failure at the box office.
9.Jagdeep: The ace comedian directed a film called Soorma Bhopali in 1988, which, as the name suggests, was a spin-off on his legendary comic character from Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay. Actors Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan did cameos in the film that earned about ₹ 80 lakh.
10.Atul Agnihotri: Before producing Salman Khan’s mega-hit Bodyguard (its earnings stand at almost ₹ 150 crore), Agnihotri directed the actor in two forgettable films. Romantic drama Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004), also featuring Preity Zinta and Bhoomika Chawla, made a little over ₹ 3 crore. His 2008 thriller Hello, based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel One Night @the Call Center, ended up with ₹ 4 crore.
All figures sourced from movie websites Bollywood Hungama and IBOS Network.
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