Yash Raj Films’ latest release “Pathan” has taken the box office by storm, completing 50 days in theaters and becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film to date. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, and John Abraham, and has also been slated for release on the OTT platform. However, the path to success was not easy for Yash Raj Films, which had suffered five consecutive box office setbacks before “Pathan”.
The production house’s last hit film, “War”, featuring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, was released in 2019. Since then, none of its subsequent films had been able to make a mark at the box office. “Mardaani 2” starring Rani Mukherjee in 2019 was a hit, but the films that followed, including “Bunty Aur Babli 2” with Siddhant Chaturvedi, Rani Mukherjee, and Saif Ali Khan, and “Jayeshbhai Jordaar” starring Ranveer Singh, failed to impress audiences.
The highly anticipated “Samrat Prithviraj” with Akshay Kumar and Manushi Chillar, which had a budget of over Rs 250 crore, was also a flop due to poor direction, acting, and treatment. Similarly, “Shamshera”, a period drama action film with a budget of Rs 150 crore, failed to connect with audiences.
Despite the setbacks, Yash Raj Films did not release any of its films directly on OTT and instead waited for theatrical releases. However, “Pathan” changed the production house’s fate. Released on January 25, 2023, with a budget of Rs 240 crore, the film has crossed the Rs 1000 crore mark, establishing Yash Raj Films once again as a major player in the industry.
The production house’s next film, “Tiger 3”, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, has high expectations from fans, and it remains to be seen if Yash Raj Films can continue its winning streak.
