Anupam Kher admits disappointment as Saiyaara eclipses Tanvi The Great despite Cannes premiere

Anupam Kher recently opened up about the fate of his directorial project Tanvi The Great, which clashed at the box office with Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara. While Saiyaara turned debutants Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda into overnight stars, Anupam’s film was pulled from theatres within days, leaving him deeply disheartened.

Speaking to Screen, Anupam said he had invested years into the film. “I worked for four years on this film — one year of writing, one year of music. I wrote and directed the film. We released it on the same day as Yash Raj Films’ Saiyaara, and it got completely wiped out. It depressed me. It made me feel very sad, not just for myself, but for the new actor I introduced and the almost 200 people who worked on it.”

The actor-director also recalled the financial challenges leading up to the release. “The financer of the film ran away a month before its release. It’s a costly film, so I called my friends who are doctors, lawyers, etc. They gave me the money,” he shared.

Despite its struggles, Tanvi The Great had a promising start on the festival circuit. It premiered at Cannes and was later screened in New York, where Robert De Niro watched it until the interval and called it good. But once released, it failed to find space against Saiyaara. “The world wanted to see a love story — and rightfully so. A young, teenage love story had not come for a long time,” Anupam admitted.

Tanvi The Great starred Anupam, Arvind Swami, Iain Glen, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff and Pallavi Joshi, with debutant Shubhangi Dutt in the lead. The film managed only Rs 2.54 crore globally.

In contrast, Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, a musical romantic drama, struck a chord with audiences and earned Rs 569.75 crore worldwide, surpassing blockbusters like Kabir Singh and Chennai Express.