Despite ‘boycott’ calls, these films were still a hit at the box office

With only a few days left for the release of ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, there are constant calls on social media to boycott Aamir Khan’s film which also stars actor Kareena Kapoor Khan and marks the Bollywood debut of Naga Chaitanya. Amidst this, take a look at the list of films that faced a similar situation, yet went on to release on the silver screens and minted money at the box office.

Image: Official film poster

Aamir Khan and his production house are all set to release the much-awaited film ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ which will hit the theatres on August 11. Just as the day of its release approaches, the promotions for the film’s release are going on in full swing. And amidst this, there have been constant calls for the film’s ‘boycott’ on social media. Film’s lead actor and producer, Aamir Khan, has been facing a lot of flak for his statements, including some from the past, that has made him and his film the centre of many controversies, and at the same time, given rise to ‘boycott’ calls on various social media platforms.

Image: Official film posters

Jumping into the controversy was Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut who, on Wednesday, alleged that all the negative publicity that is doing rounds around ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’, is an idea of Aamir Khan. Meanwhile, this Hindi remake of the Oscar-winning movie ‘Forest Gump’ which starred Tom Hanks in the lead role, is not the only Bollywood that has faced boycott films in the past. Take a look at some of the films that faced ‘boycott’ calls before their release yet went on to become hit films at the box office.

Padmavat: Starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor in the lead roles, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavat’ saw a little more than ‘boycott’ calls. The film was in the midst of several controversies, including its sets being reportedly vandalised. However, after the film hit the theatres, it was successful in dragging the audience to the theatres.

Gangubai Kathiawadi: Another film by Sanjay Leela Bhansali that faced a similar situation, to that of ‘Padmavat’, was Alia Bhatt-starrer ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’. Many social media users made calls of boycotting the film but to no avail. In fact, this film is one of the few movies of the Hindi cinema that went on to earn more than Rs 100 crore at the box office, this year.

PK: Talk about Aamir Khan and controversial films, and you can’t skip the name of ‘PK’. Helmed by Rajkumar Hirani, ‘PK’ which starred actors Aamir and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles, was also at the receiving front of the boycott films. There were several objections raised to the film that dragged it into multiple controversies, reportedly. Despite all the odds, PK was a success at the box office.