Exclusive! Manav Vij on Laal Singh Chaddha: We really have to move on now, of course the box office failure was heartbreaking!

Actor Manav Vij is receiving a lot of praise for his performance in the recently-released web series Tanaav. The actor, who was also seen in Laal Singh Chaddha, revealed that the film faced a huge loss due to the boycott culture.

The actor says that it is time to move on from all the negativity around the film, especially after its positive response from the global audience when the film released on Netflix. 

In the film, Manav plays Mohammad Baji, a Pakistan Army Commander who is saved from the war field by Laal Singh Chadha, an Indian soldier. Manav's character is based on Gary Sinise's character, Lieutenant Dan Taylor, from the original film, Forrest Gump. The film was directed by Advait Chandan, starring Aamir Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mona Singh, Naga Chaitanya and Manav, among others.

Asked about the controversy post the release of Laal Singh Chaddha that affected the business of the film, Manav told OTTplay, "Of course, the box office failure of the film was heartbreaking, because the intention of the makers was to tell the story with utmost honesty. We went to every corner of the country to shoot the film and put in a lot of effort for more than two years, throughout the pandemic. Yes, it was heartbreaking for all of us, but I don't want to talk about this. Let's move on, shall we?"

Manav played a man who lost his legs and became wheelchair-bound. How physically challenging was it for him to play such a character? "I am happy that I put my heart and soul into the character, but it was physically challenging. I had to put my legs in the air, so that later they could later be removed with VFX. Now, imagine how long I had to keep my legs up like that, throughout the film! I am not complaining about anything though, because I think it was a well-written character and I feel fortunate to be part of the film and work with an icon like Aamir Khan, whose heart is in the right place," Manav said, signing off.

Manav's latest release, the web series Tanaav — directed by Sudhir Mishra and starring Arbaaz Khan, Danish Husain, Rajat Kapoor, Ekta Kaul, Shashank Arora, Sukhmani Sadana, Waluscha De Sousa and Zarina Wahab — is the Indian adaptation of the Israeli show Fauda. It is streaming on SonyLIV.