While there is this whole euphoria around Pathaan and of course the man of the moment, Shah Rukh Khan, let’s spare a word for the man who put his altogether. Siddharth Anand, the young filmmaker, started his career with rom-coms Salmaan Namaste, Ta Ra Rum Pum, Bachna Ae Haseeno, and Anjaana Anjaani and has now graduated to high-octane action flicks Bang Bang, War, Pathaan, and Fighter. He is practically the only filmmaker in Bollywood to have a 100% track record, what with each of his films making money, some less, some more!
Surprisingly, there hasn’t been a hullabaloo around his standing in the industry. Unlike many filmmakers who are (deservingly) a brand in themselves after delivering successes continuously over the last decade or show, Siddharth has been underplaying it all and staying low-key. No interviews in between the making of the films, no reactions when his films emerge as blockbusters [War], no appearances, no reality shows, no parties. For someone who is rather young [44], he could well have been far more adventurous but instead stays quiet and humble.
In Bollywood, the most successful filmmaker today is Rohit Shetty who has delivered countless hits, super-hits, and blockbusters over the last two decades. However, the only other filmmaker who has actually been scoring huge in terms of the sheer volume of releases is Siddharth Anand, and he has also been playing with really big bucks of late.
Let’s look at the kind of records that some of the most successful directors have set in the last few years, especially when it comes to the kind of opening that their films take:
Two movies with a start of over Rs. 50 crores
Siddharth Anand – Pathaan [Rs. 57 crores], War [Rs. 53.35 crores]
Three movies with a start of over Rs. 30 crores
Rohit Shetty – Chennai Express [Rs. 33.10 crores], Singham Returns [Rs. 32 crores], Golmaal Again [Rs. 30.14 crores]
Ali Abbas Zafar – Bharat [Rs. 42.30 crores], Sultan [Rs. 36.54 crores], Tiger Zinda Hai [Rs. 34.10 crores]
Two or more movies with a start of over 20 crores
Kabir Khan – Ek Tha Tiger [Rs. 33 crores], Bajrangi Bhaijaan [Rs. 27.25 crores], Tubelight [Rs. 21.15 crores]
Vijay Krishna Acharya – Thugs of Hindostan [Rs. 52.25 crores], Dhoom 3 [Rs. 36.22 crores]
Rajkumar Hirani – Sanju [Rs. 34.74 crores], PK [Rs. 27 crores]
Prabhu Dheva – Dabangg 3 [Rs. 24.50 crores], Singh Is Kinng [Rs. 20.67 crores]
With Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone starrer Fighter as his next release, Siddharth is all set to score a hat-trick of Rs. 50 crores openers. May his tribe increase!
Note: All collections as per production and distribution sources
