Hansal Mehta: ‘Terrible films make a lot of money and good ones make less money’

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta has said that since bad films could have good box office collections as compared to good films, they should not be judged by numbers at the ticket counter. He also added that the box office numbers are very private, and the moviegoer should only focus on it if it was worth the price of the ticket.

He responded to a Twitter user, who shared the difference between box office figures shared by a film producer and those shared by a trade analyst. The user stated that a producer could share inflated box office figures in some cases and even trade analysts could go wrong with the numbers sometimes. Reacting to it, Hansal wrote, “Bottom Line: A film's box office is nobody’s business. It impacts ONLY those involved in the film in various ways that are purely transactional and essentially private.”

His comments came in response to a Twitter user who argued that films are made to make money, to which Mehta asked, "Do you watch films just to make money? Then what does a film's business have to do with you?"

Hansal further elaborated by saying that stop judging films by their box office numbers. “Terrible films sometimes make a lot of money and good films make less money. He went on to explain that box office numbers should not be the only factor considered when evaluating a film's success. He suggested that audiences should focus on their experience of the film as viewers and whether it was worth the price of their ticket.

Several users engaged in the online discussion, with some supporting Mehta's stance, while others emphasized that box office collections are a direct indicator of a film's popularity and audience validation. Even Bollywood actor Manoj Bajpayee supported Mehta's views.

Hansal Mehta has directed cinematic gems such as Shahid, Omerta, Aligarh, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story and recently released Faraaz. Mehta had previously expressed his concerns about the current yardstick for a film's success or quality, stating that there needs to be organic growth of a film. “Every film has an audience, and you have to allow it to breathe. Every film cannot be a blockbuster on Friday and Saturday," he further added.

Hansal is working on his next venture, a web series titled Scoop, inspired by Jigna Vora’s biographical book, Behind The Bars In Byculla: My Days in Prison, starring Karishma Tanna.