Feb 11, 2026 5:26pm IST
‘We Are Working Hard on ‘King’ as If It Were Our First Film’: Siddharth Anand on Shah Rukh Khan’s Next (EXCLUSIVE)
Not every film is meant to shatter box office records. But each film demands 100% commitment. Siddharth Anand believes in giving his movies his absolute — working without surrendering to pressure, yet remaining fully aware of the expectations that surround them.
In this exclusive interview with Variety India, the Pathaan and War director talks about his relationship with box office, reflects on what he thinks went wrong with Fighter and explains the rulebook he follows while mounting a commercial blockbuster.
Do you take box office pressure? With “Pathaan”, you delivered a 500-crore blockbuster. As you are reuniting with Shah Rukh Khan again in “King”, is there any pressure to achieve a certain number at the box office?
I wouldn't say there's pressure, but I would say there are expectations. And that comes when you work with a megastar like SRK. So, I'm aware of those expectations. But if I start pandering to them, then it's a mistake; I'll go wrong in my filmmaking. Because if there were a formula for catering, then everyone would be making blockbusters.
If you start following a success formula, you then start second-guessing what the audience will like. And that will kill you as a filmmaker. We never made “Pathaan” with that intention, or with the dream of doing the numbers it did. And I think that's where the magic lies. So, when you start doing it with that belief, that is the downfall. We are working hard on “King” as if it were our first film. We need to pass the test again with the audience. We are working with that intention. We are aware of expectations, but we don't succumb to the pressure.
Let’s talk about “Fighter”. It had two of India’s sexiest actors as the leads, was packed with patriotic sentiments and was released on a holiday weekend. Despite all this, it still underperformed. What went wrong with “Fighter”?
When I look back at it now, I look back at it dispassionately. I still see “Fighter” as being one of my best films. If I have made nine films, including “King”, it'll be in the top three films of my filmography. I'm very proud of it and really amazed at the work that went into it. I'm amazed at how that film shaped up and what it is from a quality perspective.
Now, we obviously had a lot of expectations because the nature of the box office changed post-"Pathaan”. And once you give a film like “Pathaan”, the box office of “Fighter” does seem like ‘Oh, it didn't perform to that level.’ But each film has its own destiny. And I feel a film like “Fighter” appeals to a smaller cross-section of people than ‘Pathaan”. It is, I would say, not niche, but a film that is talking of a genre which is very nascent, very new and actually never done before. It's not a commercial war film. It's about the Air Force and their lifestyle, their journey and what they do in their downtime, how they react, how they are in their dorm, how they are in their backyard at home, and how they prepare themselves to be fighters. It’s a film that I think appealed to a limited audience. And within that, the business that it did is remarkable. It got that respect with that number. I think it did what it was destined to do.
Do you think the film would have performed better had it been released today?
No, I never say that. Films are never ahead of their time. It was the destiny of the picture.
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What's the rule book Siddharth Anand follows while making a film?
I don’t have a rule book as such. But what I actually keep my eye on is the popcorn, for sure. I try to keep the entertainment going as a balance in the film. I don't let the proceedings get too serious or too indulgent from my side as a creator. I make sure that I keep the audience at the forefront. That is my rule book. Audience comes first; my creativity and indulgence come later. That's what I even put across to my actors, and I make sure we service the film more than servicing our own talent and our own indulgence.
Action cinema in India seems to be getting increasingly violent, with films like "Animal", "Baaghi 4" and "Dhurandhar" pushing the boundaries. How do you view this trend, and where would you draw the line as a filmmaker?
I think people who follow trends, more often than not, go wrong. You have to just follow your instinct and be true to the film and what it demands. Like I said before, if you start catering, you will fail. You have to just be honest with the audience who constantly want to see new things. They don't want to see the same thing. They want to have new experiences. And that is why those filmmakers have succeeded who have been able to give that to the audience consistently.
You loved Aditya Dhar’s “Dhurandhar”. What’s your biggest takeaway from that film?
What I learnt and took away from it is bravery as a filmmaker and, again, the fearlessness of not catering to anything that is the demand of the box office. And that the box office will follow. Just be fearless.
What’s your perspective on the growing influence of AI in filmmaking?
I think there is still time for it, and eventually, we will see AI being an integral part of our filmmaking. But it is too nascent right now. Live action is still the call of the day, and it will still take time. But yes, we have to be aware and embrace it and hope to master its potential soon.
Lastly, when audiences walk out of a Siddharth Anand film, what feeling should they leave with?
In my filmmaking, I try to give them a little bit more to take away from the film. Whether it is learning something or whether it is feeling something. Whatever it is, beyond entertainment is something that is pseudoscientific for me. You have to get entertained. Apart from that, somewhere you have learned something, empathy in your heart toward people, toward something, toward the situation, toward anything. I would also want something else to take away from my films. And that you will see hopefully in the films to come. I hope I am able to deliver it.
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