EXCLUSIVE: Anubhav Sinha explains why he has only seen “70% of Dhurandhar”; urges multiplexes to give films breathing space: “Sholay, Mughal-E-Azam underperformed initially; imagine if their shows were discontinued after week 1” 70 : Bollywood News

Anubhav Sinha is currently gearing up for his next directorial, Assi, which is set to hit cinemas on February 20. However, a few months ago, he was touring the country for a unique reason – he travelled to 33 small towns to find out how the single-screen cinemas were performing. The project was titled ‘Chal Picture Chalein’. Bollywood Hungama exclusively asked him about it and his experiences.

EXCLUSIVE: Anubhav Sinha explains why he has only seen “70% of Dhurandhar”; urges multiplexes to give films breathing space: “Sholay, Mughal-E-Azam underperformed initially; imagine if their shows were discontinued after week 1”A common complaint among moviegoers is the high prices of tickets and snacks in big-city theatres. What did the filmmaker observe in this regard during his tour and what were his thoughts on this burning issue? Anubhav Sinha said, “Sometimes, we start talking as if our film industry and exhibition sector are a cooperative society. These are businesses. A film studio is a business, and so is film exhibition. Everybody has their PML equations and an idea of how much profit to make based on their investment.”

He added, “Of course, the cheaper the prices, the better as more audience can then afford the ticket. But can you tell theatres to reduce it? You’ll have to sit down with them with their business plan and their outgoings, electricity bills, etc. There’s a reason why rates are high. But I wish it were cheaper and affordable to a much larger segment of the audience.”

Another issue that arises is that independent films don’t get sufficient shows. It became a talking point when Kanu Behl protested over step motherly treatment meted out to his film Agra (2025) by multiplexes. At that point, Anubhav Sinha had tweeted in support of Kanu.

On this issue, Anubhav Sinha opined, “I wish cinema halls allowed more time for a film to breathe and live. You cannot decide over the weekend whether or not a certain film is going to run, especially the kind of films that Kanu or several other directors make. Those films need to be given more breathing time. Sholay (1975) and Mughal-E-Azam (1960) weren’t going great runs in the first week. Had they been discontinued, they wouldn’t have been what they became. Hence, I think these films should be accommodated in the business plans of the exhibition giants.”

Lastly, Anubhav Sinha said in an interview that he had not seen 2025 and Hindi cinema’s biggest grosser, Dhurandhar. When asked if he finally got a chance to see it, Anubhav Sinha replied, “No, I still haven’t. But while I was visiting various cinema halls in various cities, I used to sit down and watch a film for 20-30 minutes. Incidentally, every cinema hall I went to was playing Dhurandhar. So, I have seen Dhurandhar in parts of 15 minutes, 20 minutes or 30 minutes. I would say I have seen 70% of the film. But since I have been completing Assi and working on the marketing, I haven’t had a chance to sit down and watch it. I would love to.”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Anubhav Sinha explains why “Bhushan Kumar is in the same category as Shah Rukh Khan”; reveals how the producer reacted to the comparison

More Pages: Dhurandhar Box Office Collection , Dhurandhar Movie Review

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