Vidhu Vinod Chopra recently opened up about how Bollywood uses marketing tactics to inflate box office numbers. The director of 12th Fail pointed out the false claims spread through these marketing methods. He admitted that his film Zero Se Restart didn’t have a good turnout in theaters, and he was not shy about saying so.
Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, Chopra said, “Marketing today is nothing but lies. Influencers are paid to say whatever is required, and it’s all false. When their shows are empty, they end up buying their own tickets and then claim fake box office numbers. I’m being honest — my film was released yesterday, but hardly anyone came. No one will openly admit that their film failed to attract an audience.”
He went on to share a personal moment, saying, “My daughter is studying at Stanford. This morning, I was singing a song, and I called her to tell her, ‘Nobody came to watch my film.’ She asked me, ‘Do you want me to sympathize with you or get inspired by what you’re saying?’ I replied, ‘I want you to get inspired.’”
12th Fail, featuring Vikrant Massey as a UPSC aspirant, became a sleeper hit towards the end of 2023. Despite a slow start at the box office, the film earned around Rs. 70 crore. It continued to run in theaters even after it was released on streaming platforms and television.