In a recent interview, Abhay Deol shed light on the industry’s initial skepticism about the acclaimed film ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. Despite the movie being hailed as one of the best slice-of-life films in Hindi cinema and still garnering high repeat value on OTT platforms and television, insiders had low expectations at the time of its release.
Deol disclosed that during the film’s production, many in the industry questioned its potential. “When we were making Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, so many people in the film industry were asking ‘who is the villain? There is no villain. What is inner conflict? Who will come to watch Hrithik Roshan’s inner conflict?’ We were hearing this kind of chatter,” he said.
The prevailing sentiment was that a film without a clear antagonist might not resonate with audiences. “With the kind of packaging that it got, the film could become successful despite the naysayers. That is how it was fresh. That these kind of actors and making this kind of film and in this budget, and it worked. But the film industry did not have much faith that it would work,” Deol added.
Additionally, Deol discussed another of his films, ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’, revealing that due to its limited marketing budget, the film struggled to secure screens and consequently underperformed at the box office.
