Aamir Khan’s Costliest Mistake: 200 Crore Disaster

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan recently reflected on his 2022 remake, Laal Singh Chaddha, calling it his costliest mistake. He admitted that overconfidence led to poor financial decisions and a massive budget overshoot, which became a major setback at the box office.

Aamir revealed in a Game Changers interview that he usually applies strict budget filters to every film. This ensures the investment aligns with expected returns. However, for Laal Singh Chaddha, he neglected this filter and spent nearly Rs 200 crore, almost four times what was prudent.

He explained that consecutive box-office hits had clouded his judgment. Aamir noted that if a film is expected to earn Rs 120 crore, the budget should ideally stay below Rs 80 crore, or even between Rs 50 and 60 crore, to maintain a reasonable risk margin.

Laal Singh Chaddha, directed by Advait Chandan and written by Atul Kulkarni, is the Hindi remake of Hollywood’s Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks. The film follows Laal Singh Chaddha’s extraordinary life as he shares stories with fellow train passengers.

Despite mixed reviews and poor domestic performance, the film fared better overseas. Aamir is now set to reunite with filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani for a Dadasaheb Phalke biopic, continuing his filmmaking journey despite previous setbacks.