Laal Singh Chaddha, the remake of the Hollywood hit Forrest Gump, has fallen far short of expectations, especially considering Aamir’s star power, the film’s lengthy production and fat budget. In comparison, even Thugs of Hindostan – often considered one of Hindi cinema’s most famous bombs – earned a record Rs 52 crore on its opening day in 2018.

Laal Singh Chaddha’s debut was good enough to rank third on the list of biggest first days this year, behind Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 (Rs 14.1 crore), Bachchhan Paandey (Rs 13.2 crore) and ahead of Samrat Prithviraj’s (Rs 10.7 crore), Gangubai Kathiawadi (Rs 10.5 crore) and Shamshera (Rs 10.2 crore).

BOI said the film is a non-starter in the mass markets and will have to show massive growth during the Independence Day weekend to survive. In scenarios where the film opens on a holiday – in this case the Raksha Bandhan holiday – a steep second-day drop is expected. But the blow can be softened by the grand opening that neither Laal Singh Chaddha nor the other new release Raksha Bandhan managed.

The reviews have not been kind either and most of the criticism this time is aimed at Aamir’s central performance. Shubhra Gupta of Indian Express wrote, “The film’s pacing is not the only problem. It is also, centrally and crucially, Sardar Laal Singh Chaddha himself, played by Aamir Khan.

One of the reasons for Laal Singh Chaddha’s underperformance could be the boycott campaigns that preceded its release. Aamir responded to the boycott campaigns at a recent media event and said, “I don’t want to hurt anyone, but if people don’t want to see the film, I would respect that too. There’s not much you can do about it. But still I would like Laal Singh Chaddha to reach a wide audience. The film is brought to life by a team of hard-working crew and artists, so I just hope people enjoy it.”