Nagarjuna on Brahmastra's success and Laal Singh Chaddha's failure: 'Wish the latter worked'

Every year, there are many "bittersweet moments" in a family of four actors, according to veteran actor Nagarjuna, who is currently enjoying the success of Brahmastra: Part One Shiva, which comes one month after his son Naga Chaitanya made his Hindi film debut in Laal Singh Chaddha.

Nagarjuna expressed his desire that Laal Singh Chaddha, which features Aamir Khan in the lead role, had performed better.

Asked about how the family reacted to the success of Brahmastra and the lacklustre performance of Laal Singh Chaddha at the box office, the Telugu superstar said, "It is a bittersweet moment. I wish it had worked well. But it happens, it is an experience."

Laal Singh Chaddha, the official Indian adaptation of the Hollywood classic Forrest Gump, was released on August 11. The movie performed poorly at the box office. 

While Brahmastra, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, had a successful opening weekend, earning over Rs 225 crore at the global box office. On September 9, the Ayan Mukerji-directed movie debuted in theatres.

On the day Brahmastra debuted, Nagarjuna's wife Amala had made a comeback with her Telugu film Oke Oka Jeevitham.

"She recently completed a film. It dealt with time travel and did incredibly well. Consequently, there was joy at home. There are four actors in my family, and each year we experience sad moments," the 63-year-old actor added. Both the father and son duo made extended cameo appearances in Brahmastra and Laal Singh Chaddha, respectively.

In Brahmastra, Nagarjuna portrayed the role of an artist named Anish Shetty, who wields the Nandi astra. Chaitanya played Balaraju 'Bala' Bodie, the best friend of Laal (Khan) in Laal Singh Chaddha.

Even though a film like Laal Singh Chaddha won't help Chaitanya gain stardom, the actor's performance will be valued by the public, according to the 35-year industry veteran.

"When Chai told me he was doing this Forrest Gump remake, I told him don't expect to be recognised as a star. This will show you as an actor. And Chai said, 'I want to be known as an actor also'," Nagarjuna recalled.

As a family, the actor said they believe in celebrating cinema, irrespective of the fate of the movie. "We all cheer for each other. We all have a get-together on the day of the release. Whatever happens, we have dinner and we all toast to that movie. Now, it is coming every six months," he added.

The first instalment of the Brahmastra trilogy starred Amitabh Bachchan and Mouni Roy. Star Studios and Dharma Productions have backed the movie, which has been presented in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam languages by director SS Rajamouli.